DURANT, Okla. (Oct. 29) – TWU freshman middle blocker Elizabeth Pennington had a game-high 20 kills and a .548 hitting percentage to help the Pioneers to a five-set win at Southeastern Oklahoma State on Wednesday night.  With the victory,TWU improved to 17-7 on the season and extended their season-high win streak to seven games in a row.
 
The Pioneers jumped out to a two games to none lead but were forced to rally in the fifth set for a 25-19, 25-18, 23-25, 20-25 and 17-15 win.
 
Pennington led three TWU players in double-digit kills and was one kill shy of tying her career high.  She also had eight total blocks and three service aces.  Senior Jaqueline Santos had 14 kills while sophomore Mallory Kuechle added 12 kills.  Kuechle also had 12 digs for a double-double.  Junior Joey Redwine led the Pioneers in assists (47) and digs (17). 
 
In set one, TWU fell behind 4-1 but used a 5-1 run to take the lead.  The Pioneers pushed the lead to five points before going on top by six, 18-12.  TWU captured a six-point win after splitting the next 14 points.
 
The Pioneers again fell behind 4-1 in the second set and used another 5-1 run to take the lead.  With the score tied at 10, TWU scored four of the next five points to go on top 14-11.  The Pioneers extended their lead to five points, 21-16, before winning the set by eight points.
 
In the third, neither team led by more than two points throughout the set.  With the score knotted at 23, Southeastern Oklahoma State scored the next two points on a service error and an attack error by the Pioneers to capture the set.
 
Trailing 3-1 in the fourth set, TWU scored seven straight points to take an 8-3 lead.  The Savage Storm responded with 6-1 run to tie the score.  Both teams traded the next eight points before SOSU scored four straight to take a 17-13 lead.  The Savage Storm built a 24-18 lead and held on for a five-point win to force the fifth set.
 
In the final set, the Pioneers jumped out to an 8-5 lead but the home team scored eight of the next 10 points to go on top 13-10.  TWU responded with three straight points to tie the score.   Both teams traded the next four points before the Pioneers closed out the game on a kill by Kuechle and a service ace by Pennington.
 
"We hit the ball well in four of the five sets," said TWU head coach Shelly Barberee.  "The third set was close but it didn't go our way at the end and we struggled in the fourth set with too many hitting errors.  I am proud of the girls for not giving up in the fifth when Southeastern was two points away from winning the game.  Liz played another outstanding game with a high hitting percentage."
 
The Pioneers will return to action when they host their final regular season home game on Saturday, Nov. 1.  TWU will face Texas A&M-Kingsville at 2:00 p.m. in Kitty Magee Arena on Senior Day.