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Life > Athletics > Volleyball > 8/25/07
ALASKA-FAIRBANKS TOPS TWU
 HILO, Hawaii (August 25) – The Texas Woman’s University Pioneers volleyball team suffered their first loss of the season late Friday night, falling in five games to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, 23-30, 30-27, 20-30, 30-18, 7-15.
The contest was the second for the Pioneers in the Hawaiian Style Classic, a tournament being played in Hilo, Hawaii and hosted by the University of Hawaii-Hilo.
Junior outside hitter Katie King (pictured) had a strong effort in the defeat for TWU. King led the Pioneers with 13 kills and also picked up two block assists. Freshman middle blocker LyGene’ Traylor was a force at the net for TWU as she had four blocks total in the match (1 block solo/3 block assists). Sophomore setter Jessica Crow orchestrated the Pioneers offense effectively, tossing up 33 assists. Senior defensive specialist Heather Marcus paced TWU with 17 digs.
Three players - senior outside hitter Jessica King (13), sophomore right side hitter Jessica Hill (11), and sophomore middle Megan Thigpen (10) - had double-digit kills for the Nanooks. Thigpen also served up five aces and freshman middle hitter Erica Gage contributed five block assists.
TWU head volleyball coach Shelly Barberee saw a silver lining in the loss by her team.
“Alaska-Fairbanks is a top-notch opponent. It wouldn’t surprise me if they are ranked in the top 15 in the nation real soon. I have to say that we played very well facing that level of competition. We were right there the whole match and could have very easily come away with a win,” said Barberee.
Barberee went on to explain that her team’s unforced errors contributed mightily to the defeat.
“I know this sounds cliché, but they (Alaska-Fairbanks) didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves. We just made too many mistakes, especially in that decisive fifth game. We need to hit better, and take advantage of the scoring opportunities that we have,” she stated.
TWU, now 1-1 on the young 2007 season, will play their final two matches of the tournament on Saturday. The Pioneers are scheduled to meet Hawaii-Hilo at 4:30 p.m. and Rollins College at 8:30 p.m. |
