DENTON, Texas (OCT. 10) – Trailing by 10 points in the fourth set, the Pioneers used a huge comeback to capture the set and the game against Angelo State on Friday night in Kitty Magee Arena. TWU won 25-19, 34-32, 21-25 and 25-23 and improved to 11-7 on the season and 6-3 in the Lone Star Conference.
Freshman
Elizabeth Pennington led TWU with 17 kills and nine blocks while senior
Jaqueline Santos added 12 kills for the Pioneers. Junior setter
Joey Redwine posted 44 assists, 19 digs, seven kills and nine blocks for TWU. Senior
Morgan Wilson led Pioneers' defense with a game-high 33 digs.
In set one, it was all Pioneers as they posted a .289 hitting percentage to capture a six-point win. TWU built an early 7-2 lead and held the Rambelles to just .044 hitting percentage while forcing the visitors from West Texas into 11 hitting errors.
In the second set, neither team led more than by three points and combined for 66 points. ASU erased four Pioneers' set points while TWU fought off five Rambelles' set points. Down, 32-31, the Pioneers scored three straight points to win what was their longest set of the season.
Angelo State regrouped and jumped out to an early 12-3 lead in the third set. Trailing, 20-13, TWU rallied with a 7-2 run to make it 22-20. The Rambelles responded with a 3-1 run to close out the set.
ASU again jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the fourth set and pushed it to a 19-9 advantage. The Pioneers started their comeback with seven straight points to make it 19-16. Both teams traded the next six points before TWU scored six of the next seven points to finish the comeback. Down, 23-21, the Pioneers closed out the game with four straight points.
"We showed lot of heart in the fourth set," said TWU head coach
Shelly Barberee. "I am very proud of the girls for fighting back against very good team. We were in the same situation against West Texas A&M last Saturday and faltered but today were able to rally to finish the game in four sets.
Morgan Wilson played a great game. She had some huge digs on defense. We also had some big blocks at the net."
The Pioneers finished the game with 18 team blocks. TWU posted four team blocks in the first and third sets and five in the second and fourth sets.
The Pioneers will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 11 when they host Tarleton State at 2:00 p.m. TWU will host a free youth volleyball clinic immediately following the game. The clinic is open to boys and girls in eighth grade and below.
