COMMERCE – The East Texas A&M University volleyball team delivered nine service aces and 10 blocks on its way to secure a five-set victory over the University of Louisiana Monroe on Sunday afternoon on the Hunt Regional Healthcare Court in the Field House, with set scores of 25-19, 25-19, 20-25, 21-25, 15-13.
The Lions are 2-1 for the second time in three years, with both instances coming at home. The Warhawks went 1-2 this weekend in Commerce.
Ariana Brown (Conroe) led the Lions with 15 kills, her outstanding performance throughout the tournament earned her a spot on the Lion Invitational All-Tournament team.
East Texas A&M started the first set strong, maintaining a narrow lead despite ULM's efforts to equalize. The Lions' defense, highlighted by blocks from
Sabine Wenzel (Melrose, Mass.) and
Samantha Mosley (Atlanta, Ga.), stemmed the Warhawks' scoring, allowing the Lions to pull ahead. The set concluded with a decisive kill by Wenzel, securing a 25-19 victory for the Lions.
Although the Warhawks rallied to tie the score at 14-14 in the second, a timely kill by Mosley, set up by
Haley Mullaney (Decatur), restored the Lions' momentum. The home team capitalized on ULM's errors and further kills by Brown and
Ellie Thurman (Henderson, Nev.) to close the set. The Lions secured the set victory with a 25-19 score.
The third set remained competitive, with the Lions fighting back to tie the score at 11-11 through a kill by Wenzel. Despite another notable kill by Mosley from Mullaney, the Lions could not sustain their lead. ULM eventually secured the set with a 25-20 victory.
In the fourth set, the Lions made several key plays to maintain pressure on ULM.
Sediong Scott (Houston – Elsik) delivered a kill narrowed the gap to 20-18. However, ULM capitalized on a few critical moments to eventually close out the set, 25-21.
The fifth set saw several critical plays from the Lions, despite efforts from ULM to close the gap, including a tie at 10, the Lions capitalized on service errors and additional kills, notably from Brown.
Jill Vinal (A&M-Consolidated) served up back-to-back service aces to clinch the set, ending the match at 15-13 in favor of the Lions.
Mullaney orchestrated the offense with 34 assists, contributing significantly to the team's setup.
Jade Washington was a defensive anchor, recording 27 digs. Wenzel excelled at the net, posting eight total blocks and tallying 16 points.
2026 LION INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
MVP – Ella Swansiger, Southern Illinois
Natalie Vance, Southern Illinois
Ariana Brown, East Texas A&M
Abby Cunningham, ULM
Selena Morales, Texas Southern
COACH JOE MORALES' THOUGHTS
We didn't necessarily anticipate the match going the way it did, but it gave us an opportunity to face some adversity and fight through it. We did a good job sticking to the game plan, ULM made some adjustments that caught us off guard a little bit, but I am proud of the way our team stayed composed and kept ourselves within striking distance.
We made some adjustments of our own, and our team really fought. It was a gut check for us, especially in the fifth set, and our team never folded. They stayed together, kept fighting and showed a lot of persistence and resilience. That was really good to see.
Haley did a great job of operating our hitters and taking swings from both the outside and right side, while Ariana was very productive with the volume of swings she took. Our middles also stepped up, and our passing was really good, especially with Rendi and Jade in serve-receive. We have a lot of depth and competition on this team, and anyone can get the call.
I'm extremely proud of our team and the way they adapted to different roles and positions. Anytime you come out of a home weekend 2-1, it's a good weekend. We know there are some things we can clean up, but the way this team fought and stayed together was really encouraging. We'll take those lessons, get back to work and look forward to what's ahead.
UP NEXT
The Lions are set to head to New York to take part in the Lou Carnesecca Invitational on Friday, facing UAB and Rider at 9 a.m. central and 3 p.m. central, respectively.
-ETAMU-
