COMMERCE – On Pink Out Night in the Field House, presented by Hunt Regional Healthcare, the East Texas A&M University volleyball team lost to Incarnate Word in four sets on Thursday night on the Hunt Regional Healthcare Court.
The Lions were limited to 45 kills and a .176 hitting percentage, while UIW finished with 57 kills and hit .196. The Lions totaled nine blocks in the game, exceeding their season average of 7.91. ET worked in front 7-5 early on a
Sediong Scott (Houston – Elsik) kill, but the Cardinals came back to tie the set at 8-8 and later moved ahead 12-10. The Lions answered by taking five of the next six points to go up 15-13, with Scott adding a kill and a block during the stretch. The Lions later pushed the margin to 22-18 after a
Samantha Mosley (Atlanta) kill and an
Ariana Brown (Conroe) service ace, but UIW scored three straight points to get back within 22-21. Kills by
Sabine Wenzel (Melrose, Mass.) and Mosley gave the Lions set point at 24-22, but UIW took the final four points, closing the set 26-24 on a Teddy-Raye Ewers kill.
After the Cardinals built a 7-3 lead, the Lions scored the next six points, tying the set on Mosley's kill, moving ahead on Brown's ace and going up 9-7 on a Wenzel block. UIW worked back to a 10-10 tie, but the Lions answered with eight straight points, with
Jill Vinal (A&M-Consolidated) serving the final seven as
Gracie Campbell (Klein Oak) had three kills and Scott added another during the stretch to make it 18-10. The Lions stayed in front from there, using a Campbell kill and service ace to reach 21-12 before Brown and Campbell supplied late kills to close the set 25-15.
UIW put the Lions in an early 5-0 hole in the third set, but the Lions got back within 5-3 on a service error and two UIW attack errors. Wenzel and Campbell helped the Lions keep working back, with Wenzel kills at 6-4 and 7-6 before a Scott-Campbell block tied the set at 7-7, and Campbell later added a kill before the Lions pulled even again at 10-10. After the Cardinals moved ahead 15-12, Wenzel put down a kill, Brown served an ace, and the Lions eventually tied the set at 16-16 on a Campbell block before a Mosley-Scott block gave them a 17-16 lead. The Cardinals answered with the next three points, and although the Lions stayed within 21-20 on a Scott kill, UIW scored the final four points to take the set 25-20.
The Lions opened the fourth set with a Scott kill from Vinal and two Cardinal attack errors for a 3-0 lead, and Brown added two early kills as the Lions stayed in front 5-3. UIW tied the set at 5-5, and after several exchanges, Campbell's kill from Vinal brought the Lions even at 9-9. UIW moved ahead from there to build a 15-11 lead before a Mosley and Wenzel block made it 15-12. Campbell later had kills at 17-13, 19-14 and 22-15, but UIW continued to pull away and closed the match 25-15.
Campbell led the Lions with 15 kills and 17.5 points, adding nine digs and two blocks. Campbell's 15 kills surpassed a season average of 10.65.
Jade Washington (Waco – Midway) collected 24 digs, surpassing a season average of 18.13, and added five assists. Vinal finished with a season-high 25 assists and four digs. Scott posted a team-high five total blocks, exceeding a season average of 2.96, while adding seven kills and an ace.
Brown recorded three service aces, surpassing a season average of 1.52. Wenzel has hit at least .333 in two consecutive matches. Mosley has hit at least .318 in two consecutive matches and recorded four total blocks, exceeding a season average of 2.52.
The Lions have lost seven of their last eight to fall to 9-15 overall and 3-8 in Southland play. UIW is 11-9 overall and 9-2 in Southland play.
UP NEXT
The Lions host HCU on Saturday at 11 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at
LionAthletics.com/tickets.
-ETAMU-
