LAKE CHARLES, La. – McNeese Cowgirls defended their home court and beat the Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon at the Legacy Center via set scores of 25-16, 25-18, 23-25, and 25-13.
 
McNeese took the first two points of the first set and hit .297 during the first set to jump up 1-0 in the match. Despite hitting just .029 in the second set, the Cowgirls won the second set as well. The Lions had a 7-1 lead in the set, but McNeese came back to tie the set at 10 and took five of the final six points of the set.
 
The Cowgirls had a 7-1 lead in the first set, but the Lions went on a scoring run to tie the set at 10, and despite McNeese taking the next three points, A&M-Commerce remained close. Being down 23-19, a 6-0 run provided the third set win for the Lions.
 
The first point of the fourth set went to A&M-Commerce, but the Cowgirls took the next three and ended the match by taking the set, quickly, by a score of 25-13. The Cowgirls hit .514 in the final set.
 
For the Lions, Kitana Tuufuli (St. Hedwig – Steele) had a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs. Essence Allen (Longview – Tatum) had eight kills and Taylor Borden (Gregory-Portland) had nine digs. Both Deja Benjamin (Pearland – Shadows Creek) and Yasmin Figueiredo (Rio de Janiero, Brazil) recorded four blocks each, while Breann Connally (Coolidge – Groesbeck) picked up 18 assists.
 
A&M-Commerce has lost five in a row and lost the fifth straight meeting against McNeese. The Lions are now 9-19 on the season and 5-9 in Southland Conference play, while McNeese is 13-14 overall and 11-3 in SLC action.
 
UP NEXT
The Lions host their final two matches next week, welcoming Nicholls on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and Houston Christian at 1 p.m. next Saturday, which is also Senior Day.