COMMERCE – A come-from-behind five-set win over Central Arkansas capped off the first day of the 2024 season for the Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team, who split the two matches against the Sugar Bears and Little Rock on Friday as part of the Lion Invitational on the Hunt Regional Healthcare Court in the Field House.
The Lions start the season at 1-1 for the second year in a row and played at home to begin the season for the first time in the Division I era.
Match 2: A&M-COMMERCE 3, CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Outside of the first point of the set, the Lions did not have the lead in the first. A pair of kills from
MJ Klaumann (Emerald Isle, N.C.) and an attacking error brought the Lions within one point at 20-19, but UCA lost just two points the rest of the set to take the first set, 25-21.
Both exchanged the lead early in the second set, until a 4-0 run put the Lions ahead 8-5 and A&M-Commerce remained ahead, but the Sugar Bears served back a 5-0 run to lead 15-13. Trailing in the set 17-14, a service error by Central Arkansas sparked a 4-0 run and gave the lead back to the Lions, but a 4-0 run from the Sugar Bears followed.
The Sugar Bears took a 22-21 lead on a kill, but back-to-back kills from
Kitana Tuufuli (St. Hedwig – Steele) began a scoring run for the Lions which ended in the second set win, 25-22.
The Lions jumped ahead 5-1 in the third set, thanks in large part to three straight aces from
Millie Allgood (Sherwood, Ark.). The scoring run catapulted the Lions to take the third set, 25-21, and take a lead in the match, as they led for the entirety of the set outside of the first point.
The fourth set began with a pair of points for the Lions, but Central Arkansas pulled ahead 8-4, and despite the Lions tying the set at 19, the Sugar Bears took three of the next four points, and won three points in a row to close out the set, 25-22, and pushed the match to the distance.
This was the first five-set match for the Lions this season, who went 5-1 in five-set matches a year ago. An attacking error and a kill by
Carley Spachman (Leewood, Kan.) gave the Lions a slight advantage in the fifth set at 6-4. UCA pulled ahead 9-8 and the two points exchanged points until a kill from
Reese Fetty (Farmersville), an attacking error, and another kill from Fetty put the Lions ahead 13-11.
Despite being on the brink of losing the match, UCA took advantage of a service error and tied the set at 13, but an attacking error gave the Lions their first chance to close out the match and another attacking error sealed the win in the fifth set, 15-13.
MATCH POINT HIGHLIGHT
Fetty missed one dig shy of a double-double, totaling 15 kills, nine digs, and a block, while Spachman recorded eight kills and four blocks, and Tuufuli posted 17 kills and three digs.
Defensively,
Jade Smith had 29 digs, while
Ellie Baumert (Dodge, Neb.) posted 27 assists and
Savannah Jennings (Rosehill Christian) picked up 19 assists.
Match 1: LITTLE ROCK 3, A&M-COMMERCE 1
The Lions and the Trojans split the first 12 points of the match, until a 3-0 run by the Trojans pulled them ahead. Neither squad was able to build a lead bigger than three until a 7-1 run by Little Rock. The Lions responded by taking the next five points, which included an ace from Allgood and three blocks from Spachman.
An attacking error by ULR tied the set at 21, but the next four points went to the Trojans for the first set win, 25-21.
The Trojans had a four-point lead to begin the second set and the Lions fell behind 16-9, but the Lions put together a 13-2 run to take a 22-18 lead. Fetty served up two aces in the stretch. The Lions took the second set, 25-22.
After Little Rock led 6-1 to start the third set, the Lions tied the set at six, but the Trojans never allowed the Lions to take the lead in the set and went on to win the set, 25-21, taking five of the last eight points.
A service error by the Trojans gave the Lions a 9-8 lead, but the next seven points went to Little Rock as the match closed out with a 25-18 set win for the Trojans, despite the Lions saving off three set points.
On the Lion's side, Tuufuli recorded eight kills, while Smith posted 27 digs, Jennings put up 11 digs and 14 assists, and Baumert recorded 13 assists. Spachman finished the match with eight kills and seven blocks.
POST MATCH INTERVIEW
UP NEXT
The Lion Invitational closes out on Saturday afternoon as the Lions renew their rivalry with Tarleton at 3 p.m. in the first meeting in Commerce between the two teams since 2018.
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