CANYON, Texas (Nov. 13) – The TWU volleyball team suffered a five-set loss to Cameron, 21-25, 25-21, 11-25, 25-22 and 13-15, in quarterfinals of the 2014 Lone Star Conference Championship tournament on Thursday afternoon at the WTAMU Fieldhouse in Canyon, TX.
 
Four TWU players recorded double-digit kills led by freshman Elizabeth Pennington with 17.  Senior Jaqueline Santos and sophomore Mallory Kuechle added 12 each while junior Hillary Shaffer chipped in 11.  TWU senior Morgan Wilson had a game-high 19 digs while senior Kelci Lind added 11 digs for the Pioneers.  Kuechle also had 16 digs for the double-double. 
 
The Pioneers dropped the first set after falling behind early.  Cameron used a 6-0 run to turn a 4-3 lead into a seven-point advantage.  TWU cut the deficit to three but another run by the Aggies pushed the lead back to six, 15-9.  CU maintained a four-point lead the rest of the way to capture the set 25-21.
 
The Pioneers regrouped in the second set to capture a four-point win and even the game at 1-1.  TWU jumped out to a 7-2 lead but the Aggies went on an 8-1 run to take the lead.  The Pioneers responded with a 6-1 run of their own to regain the lead.  TWU pushed it to a four-point advantage and maintained the lead the rest of the way.
 
In the third set, both teams traded points through the first 20 points.  With the score tied at 10-10, Cameron scored 15 of the next 16 points to capture a 14-point win.  The Aggies hit .423 while TWU struggled with just .065 hitting percentage.
 
In the fourth set, the Pioneers used a 6-2 run to turn an 8-8 tie into a 14-10 lead.  TWU pushed the lead to five points, 18-13, before the Aggies went on a 7-2 run to tie the score at 20-20.  The Pioneers answered by scoring five of the next seven points to capture the set.  TWU ended the set with back-to-back service aces by junior Torie Talkington.
 
In the deciding set, both teams split the first six points before Cameron went on a 5-1 run to take an 8-5 lead.  Trailing 14-10, the Pioneers erased three game points but a kill by the Aggies gave them a two-point win.
 
"We are disappointed to lose in the first round," said TWU head coach Shelly Barberee.  "Once again we were inconsistent.  Even though we lost in the first round of this tourney, we still had a good year.  Coming into the season we didn't know what to expect with lot of new players and to finish second in the conference (in the regular season) is an accomplishment."
 
The loss to the Aggies sets the Pioneers' final 2014 overall record at 18-10.
 
Thursday's game marks the end of the TWU careers for Lind, Santos, Wilson and Katelyn Barnett.  Wilson finished with 2,202 career digs and is the all-time leader at TWU.  She is the only player in the TWU record book with over 2,000 career digs.
 
"We have some big shoes to fill next year," Barberee said.  "We are going to miss all four of them (Lind, Santos, Wilson, and Barnett) and their leadership."