PIONEERS KEEP ON WINNING,
DOWN JAVELINAS 3-1 IN VOLLEYBALL

DENTON, TX—Texas Woman’s University (7-15) used a season-high attack percentage of .310, with four players in double figures in kills, to extend their winning streak for five matches with a 3-1 (30-18, 30-22, 28-30, 30-22) victory over Texas A&M University-Kingsville (7-16). Senior Marci Brinkman (Carrollton, TX/Newman Smith H.S.) finished the match with a team-high 17 kills.

"The team played a little flat at times, but for the most part we controlled the match. It was nice to get a victory in our first home game since late August," head coach Shelly Barberee said. "Jenny Madrid did a great job of blocking their big hitters and Courtney Lewis had a great match on the offensive side of the ball."

The Pioneers were hitting on all cylinders in the first two games. In game one, TWU broke out to a 12-5 lead, thanks in large part to four kills by Jenny Madrid (Panama City, Panama/Hill College). They went on a 6-1 run late in the frame and walked away with a 30-18 win with 18 kills and a .533 attack percentage. Game two was close in the early going as each team exchanged the lead four times before TWU went on a 8-3 run with the score knotted at 14-14 to take control of the game. The Pioneers recorded 15 kills and allowed the Javelinas just seven as they won game two 30-22.

Kingsville took an early lead in game three and held onto it for most of the frame. TWU battled back and tied the game at 15-15 on a Brinkman kill. The Pioneers jumped out to a three-point lead, 27-24, but the Javelinas came back, thanks to seven kills by Melanie Biggerstaff, and took the game 28-30. The final game was close in the early going, but TWU surged to a 17-10 lead through the mid-point and never looked back, winning the game, 30-22, and the match. The Pioneers recorded 17 kills and a .413 attack percentage, with Courtney Lewis (San Antonio, TX/Panola College) recording seven of those kills.

TWU finished the match with 66 kills and 17 errors on 158 swings for a .310 attack percentage. Lewis finished with 16 kills, Madrid chipped in with 13 and Heather Smith (Chino Hills, Calif./Ayala H.S.) added 12. Carley Messmer (Garland, Tex./UT-San Antonio) finished with a double-double by tying her season-high with 58 assists to go along with 11 digs. Lewis matched her kill total with 16 digs, giving her a double-double as well.

Up next, the Pioneers travel to Dallas, Tex. to face Dallas Baptist on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. Then on Thursday and Saturday, TWU has two important conference matches against Cameron and Central Oklahoma. They host Cameron on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. with the Central Oklahoma match coming on Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. in Kitty Magee Arena.