COMMERCE – In a match that lasted just under three hours, the 384 fans in the Field House on Tuesday night were treated with an exciting night of volleyball, between the Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team and the Oklahoma Christian Eagles in the first round of the LSC Championship. The No. 12 seeded Eagles outlasted the No. 5 seeded Lions, 16-14 in the fifth set to end the Lions' time in the LSC.
 
With the win, the Eagles remain in the Lone Star state and head south to San Angelo for the remainder of the LSC Championship. Oklahoma Christian will face the No. 4 seed, West Texas A&M on Thursday night in the quarterfinal round of the LSC Championship.
 
The Lions end their time in the Lone Star Conference and NCAA Division II with the loss on Tuesday night. They exit the conference holding the conference record for most consecutive conference tournament appearances, 10.
 
Playing in their sixth five set match of the year, the Lions lost the first two points, but stormed back with a 5-1 run to take a 7-5 lead. They did not trail in the set after that point, until the end of the match.
 
Maintaining a 13-10 advantage, a service error and an attacking error by the Lions helped the Eagles tie it at 13. The Lions had another chance to win the match on a service error, but after a bad set, the Eagles had their first match point and kept their season alive on an attacking error by the Lions.
 
The official time of Tuesday's match was 2 hours and 56 minutes.



POST MATCH INTERVIEW
 
Several Lions set their career highs or fell just short in Tuesday night's effort.
 
Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo.) posted season-best 41 digs in the five-set match, which are also the 11^th most digs by a NCAA Division II player in a five set match this season. Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) had 59 assists, four shy of her career high as well as 20 digs, and four kills.
 
Riley Davidson (Commerce) had 29 digs, a career high. Maddy Rashford (Placentia, Calif.) had 21 kills, a career high. Reese Fetty (Farmersville) also had season best 12 kills in her freshman season.
 
The Eagles trailed 20-16 in the first set, but won three straight points and six of the next seven after a timeout to take a 22-21 lead. The Lions tied it at 22 on a kill by Nicki Gonelli (Round Rock – Stony Point).
 
Oklahoma Christian went up 23-22, but the Lions came back once again and tied it on a kill by Vela. Following the kill by Vela, the Lions' served up an error and the Eagles closed out the set on a kill by Morgan Demuth.
 
Rashford and Gonelli had five kills each in the first set, Essence Allen (Longview – Tatum) had four. Vela had an assist on 15 of the 16 kills. Hebert had eight digs in the set, Ashley Pennington (Frisco – Liberty) had four. The Eagles outhit the Lions, .255 to .172 in the set.
 
After taking out the crowd factor by taking the first set, the Eagles jumped out to a 12-6 lead in the second. A&M-Commerce coach Craig Case called a timeout to talk things over and the Lions responded with a 9-1 run to take a 15-13 lead.
 
Oklahoma Christian retook the lead at 19-18, but the Lions answered back with three straight kills, including two from Fetty and closed out the set, 25-22, on another kill by Fetty.
 
Fetty had five kills in the second set, Rashford had four, and Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.) had three. Davidson led the team with eight digs in the second set, Hebert had seven, and Allen had six. The Eagles edged out the Lions in hitting percentage, .145 to .143 in the set.
 
The Lions breezed through the third set, 25-18. They won the first point of the set on a kill by Fetty and did not trail the rest of the way. Both set wins for the Lions came via kills by Fetty on Tuesday night.
 
Rashford led the team with six kills in the third set, Fetty was right behind her with four, and Andersen had three in the third set as well. The Lions outhit the Eagles, .259 to .250 in the set. Hebert had 11 digs in the third set, Davidson had seven. A&M-Commerce also served up four aces in the set.
 
Despite being a set away from the end of their season, the Eagles stayed toe-to-toe with the Lions in the fourth. Neither team led by more than two points at any point of the set. With the set tied at 23, the Eagles capitalized on an attacking to have a chance to extend the match, but an attacking error tied it again.
 
The Lions got a chance to win the match on a kill by Rashford, but coughed it up on a service error. A kill by Maiya Dickie (Huntsville) gave the Lions a 26-25 lead, they lost the next two points, but bounced back to tie it at 27 on a kill by Rashford.
 
The Eagles got another chance to send the match to five sets on a block, which was challenged by the Lions, but not overturned. They closed out the set on a kill by Spencer Plato.
 
Hebert had 12 digs in the fourth set, Davidson had eight. Vela picked up seven digs in the fifth set.
 
Tuesday night's loss marks the end of the college careers for seniors, Andersen, Taryn Cast, Davidson, Dickie, Gonelli, Destiny Greenwood, Madison Luther, Natalie Sarbeck, and Shelbi Sheppard.