DENTON, Texas (Sept. 22) – The TWU volleyball team dropped the Lone Star Conference home opener to visiting Tarleton State, 20-25, 25-21, 28-30, and 19-20, in front of a packed house.
 
The 602 fans in attendance at the Kitty Magee Arena were the most since Sept. 17, 2013, when TWU defeated Texas A&M-Commerce in front of a school-record crowd of 724.
 
The Pioneers were led by junior Mallory Kuechle with 11 kills and 13 digs.  Junior Sara Oxford and freshman Makayla Mayfield both added 10 kills each.  Senior Torie Talkington led the team with 15 digs while senior Joey Redwine posted 36 assists.
 
In the first set Tarleton State jumped out to 16-9 lead before the Pioneers rallied with a 9-3 run to cut the deficit to one.  The TexAnns responded with three straight points before closing out the set on a 3-2 run.
 
In the second TSU again jumped out to an early 9-3 lead but the Pioneers again answered with five straight points before tying the score at 10-10.  Tarleton State regained the lead with a 4-0 run but TWU chipped away before going on top 19-18.  The Pioneers pushed their lead to 22-19 with three straight points and then closed out the set on a 3-2 run.
 
Both teams split the first 20 points in the third set.  TWU then went on an 8-2 run to take an 18-12 lead and was up 20-15 before TSU made a run.  The TexAnns used a 5-1 run to cut the deficit to one and evened the score at 23-23 with another 3-2 run.  Both teams traded points until TSU scored back-to-back points to capture the set 30-28.
 
In the fourth the TexAnns used a 7-1 run to start the set but TWU rallied to cut the deficit to one, 11-10.  The Pioneers then used a 5-2 run to go on top 15-13 but Tarleton State responded with a 10-2 run including eight straight points to take a 23-17 lead.  TSU captured the game after splitting the final four points.
 
The TexAnns were led by Hailey Roberts who finished with 37 kills on 72 attempts.  She also has 20 digs on defense.
 
"We didn't pass well and couldn't run the offense through our middles," said TWU head coach Shelly Barberee.  "Hailey Roberts is the best player in the conference and she going to have her kills.  However we need to pass the ball better so we can have our kills.  We had some really great moments but lot of times we gave them easy balls.  We played mediocre in front of a big crowd and it is disappointing."
 
The Pioneers will return to action when they host Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday, Sept. 25.  First serve is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in Kitty Magee Arena.