STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Nov. 20) – TWU junior
Mallory Kuechle recorded a double-double and posted a .318 hitting percentage but it wasn't enough as the Pioneers fell to #25 Angelo State in four set at the LSC Championship Tournament. TWU fell 18-25, 22-25, 25-22, and 24-26.
Kuechle led three players in double-digit kills with 15 and four players in double-digit digs with 19. Senior
Hillary Shaffer added 11 kills while junior
Sara Oxford chipped in 10. Senior
Torie Talkington has 15 digs while senior
Joey Redwine recorded 12 digs and freshman
Makayla Mayfield finished with 10 digs. Redwine also had 43 assists.
In the opening set both teams split the first six points before Angelo State went on 7-1 run to take a 10-4 lead. Trailing, 16-10, the Pioneers used a 5-2 run to cut the deficit to three points but that's the closest they would get as the Rambelles closed out the set on a 7-3 run.
In the second set TWU jumped out to an early 6-3 lead but a 5-2 run by Angelo State knotted the score at 8-8. After both teams traded points the Rambelles built a 17-14 lead and extended it to four points, 23-19. The Pioneers rally and scored three straight points to make it 23-22 but back-to-back kills by ASU gave them a three-point win.
The Pioneers again jumped out an early 7-1 lead in the third set and were up 10-2 before Angelo State made a run. The Rambelles outscored TWU 9-1 to tie the score at 11-11. The Pioneers answered with three straight points but a 7-3 run by ASU gave them an 18-17 lead. TWU again regrouped and went on a 6-1 run to go on top 23-19 before winning the set by two points.
In the fourth set the Pioneers fell behind 5-1 but rallied to tie the score at 10-10. Trailing 14-12, TWU used an 8-2 run to take a 20-16 lead but the Rambelles scored four straight to knot it at 20-20. The Pioneers again took a 24-22 lead but four straight points by ASU ended the game.
"We were little nervous in the first two sets but overall we played well," said TWU head coach
Shelly Barberee. "We could have easily shutdown after losing the first two sets but we didn't and I am proud of the girls. We hit well in the first and second and our blocking picked up in the third and fourth sets. We made one mistake at the end of the fourth and they came back to take the set."
The loss drops the Pioneers' record to 24-7 on the season and the team will now wait for the announcement of the 2015 NCAA South Central Regional, which will be announced Monday evening, Nov. 23. The top eight teams in the region will advance to the tournament. The Pioneers were ranked fifth in this week's rankings released on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
