COMMERCE – For the first time since 2019, the Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team is 3-0 in conference play after downing the McNeese Cowgirls in four on Saturday afternoon on the Hunt Regional Healthcare court in the Field House via set scores of 25-22, 25-19, 18-25, and 25-23.
 
The Lions have won three in a row, four of the last five, to improve to 6-9 on the season and lead the Southland Conference with a record of 3-0. The Cowgirls are 4-9 on the season and Saturday was the SLC opener for McNeese.
 
Saturday was the sixth meeting between A&M-Commerce and McNeese over the last three years, the Lions came out victorious for the first time. A&M-Commerce is 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2019, which was also the last conference championship for the program.
 
For the Lions, Ellie Baumert (Dodge, Neb.) recorded a double-double for the third straight match.
 
Exchanging points early in the first set, the Lions never trailed in the set and closed out the set on an ace by Reese Fetty (Farmersville). The largest scoring run for the Lions in the set was three.
 
Both teams stayed within reach of each other in the second set as well. With the set tied at 17, the Lions used a 3-0 scoring run to push closer to winning the set and lost just two points the rest of the way with a Cowgirl attacking error sealing the second set for the Lions.
 
Looking to stay alive in the match, the Cowgirls won the first three points of the fourth set, though the Lions did win three of the next four and tied the set at nine on a 3-0 run. McNeese once again went on a 10-2 run to create cushion in the set and extended the match with a 25-18 third set win.
 
The Lions jumped ahead to a 10-6 lead in the fourth, but McNeese fought back once again, to grab a 12-11 lead and extended it to as much as five. Fetty ended a 5-0 scoring run for the Cowgirls with a kill at 20-15 and the Lions used a 5-0 run to lead 22-21.
 
The set was tied at 23, and back-to-back kills from Gracie Campbell (Klein Oak) increased her total for the match to 19 and gave the Lions their third straight win.
 
Campbell tallied 19 kills, five digs, and two assists, while Carley Spachman (Leewood, Kan.) finished with 11 kills and five blocks. Fetty added 16 kills, four aces, eight digs, and one block.
 
For her double-double, Baumert recorded 42 assists and 11 digs, while serving up two aces and six kills as well. Avery Wilks (Mont Belvieu – Barbers Hill) racked up nine kills, one ace, one dig, and one block. Jade Smith (Houston – Mayde Creek) tallied 33 digs and six assists.

POST MATCH INTERVIEW
 
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The Lions head on the road for their next four matches, playing at Lamar Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and Stephen F. Austin next Saturday at noon.