HAMMOND, La. – Playing in its first Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament, the No. 7 seeded Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team won 3-1 over No. 6 seeded New Orleans, via set scores of 27-25, 25-20, 21-25, and 25-19, on Thursday evening at the University Center to advance to the quarterfinal round.
 
The Lions improve to 11-22 on the season and pick up their first win over the Privateers, after falling to them both times during the regular season. A&M-Commerce now faces No. 3 seeded McNeese on Friday at 5 p.m. in the quarterfinal match. The winner of that matches faces No. 2 seeded Southeastern on Saturday.
 
A&M-Commerce picked up its first postseason win since the spring season of 2021. The Lions had lost their last five matches to close out the regular season.


POST MATCH INTERVIEW
 
New Orleans started off with a 5-0 run to take the lead in the first set. The Lions responded with a 5-1 run to pull within one before tying the set twice. The Privateers did not let the Lions take the lead and pushed an 8-1 run to lead, 15-8.
 
Maddy Rashford (Placentia, Calif.), assisted the Lions on an 8-2 run to pull one away from a draw, 17-16. Both teams began trading points when the Lions took the lead for the first time, 23-21. The Privateers reached set point on a 3-0 run, before the Lions put together a 4-1 run to secure the, 27-25, set win.
 
The Lions started off the second set, 5-3, and only allowed the Privateers to tie the set twice at, 2-2 and 5-5. The Lions continued to keep the lead with the help of four service aces in the second set, one from Millie Allgood (Sherwood, Ark.), two by Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo.), and one by Kayla Lucas (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who had the ace for set point. Taryn Cast (Peaster) put down the kill that won the set for the Lions, 25-20.
 
In the third set, the Lions kicked things off with a 4-2 lead before trading short runs with the Privateers at the beginning of the set. The Privateers led, 9-8, for the first time since the first set. The Lions answered with a 3-0 run to take back the lead, 11-9. Both teams continued point for point before the Privateers took the lead, 18-17, with the Lions drawing the set four times. The Privateers walked away with a, 25-21, set win on a 4-0 run.
 
Neither team could take a substantial lead at the beginning of the fourth set. The Lions pushed a 7-3 run to take the lead, 13-11, before the Privateers tied the set at 13 a piece. Repeating the third set, both teams continued to trade points and leads until the Lions chipped away with short runs to take the lead, 22-19, and bagged the 25-19 match win with a 5-0 run.
 
Rashford lead the team with 16 kills on a hitting percentage of .235 and two blocks. Followed by Cast with 14 kills and seven blocks, while Reese Fetty (Farmersville) put down 11 kills with two blocks.
 
Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) recorded a double-double with 45 assists, 15 digs, and two kills, while Yasmin Figueiredo (Rio de Janerio, Brazil) put down nine kills with four digs. Hebert collected 20 digs, five service aces, and seven assists, with Essence Allen (Longview–Tatum) also recording 20 digs, two service aces, and five kills. Allgood picked up 17 digs, two service aces, and two kills on the night.