DENTON, Texas (OCT. 4) – The TWU volleyball fell to visiting West Texas A&M in five sets, 25-21, 25-18, 13-25, 16-25 and 10-15, on Saturday afternoon in Kitty Magee Arena. 
 
The Pioneers won the first two sets, but could not hold off the Lady Buffs comeback effort as WTAMU won the next three sets.  The loss drops the Pioneers' record to 10-7 on the season and 5-2 in the Lone Star Conference.
 
Trailing 4-1 in the first set, the Pioneers used a 5-1 run to take the lead.  TWU continued to build on the lead and was up 23-17 before the Lady Buffs scored four straight points.  The Pioneers responded with back-to-back kills to close the set.
 
In the second set, TWU jumped out to a 4-1 lead and never looked back. The Pioneers led by as many as nine points before eventually winning by seven.  TWU hit a .324 in the set with just four errors.
 
In the third set, the Pioneers fell apart with nine unforced errors and a -.029 hitting percentage.  West Texas A&M used a 7-0 run early in the set to pull away before closing out the set with five straight points.
 
The Lady Buffs carried the momentum into the fourth and scored the first three points.  TWU rallied to even the score at 5-5 but West Texas A&M scored 13 of the next 20 points to take an 18-12 lead.   The Lady Buffs eventually captured a nine-point win to force the deciding set.
 
In the final set, WT again used a 6-1 run to go on top 8-3.  The Lady Buffs continued to build on the lead and were up 13-7 before winning by five points.
 
"We played great in the first two sets and then fell apart with too many unforced errors," said TWU head coach Shelly Barberee.  "West Texas A&M is a good team and we can't give them free points with hitting errors.  The third set was the key and we didn't play with the same intensity as we did in the first two sets."
 
The Pioneers were led by sophomore Mallory Kuechle on offense with 17 kills while senior Jaqueline Santos added 15.  Junior Hillary Shaffer and freshman Elizabeth Pennington had nine kills each for TWU.  Senior Morgan Wilson led the Pioneers' defense with a game-high 23 digs.  Kuechle posted 12 digs for a double-double while the Pioneers' junior setter, Joey Redwine, also recorded a double-double with 43 assists and 21 digs.
 
TWU will return to action when they host Angelo State on Friday, Oct. 10.  The game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Kitty Magee Arena.