DENTON, Texas (Oct. 25, 2016) – Sara Oxford recorded a game-high 16 kills and Kerstin Jenkins totaled a dozen in a four-set loss (20-25, 23-25, 29-27, 16-25) to Texas A&M-Commerce Tuesday evening inside Kitty Magee Arena.
 
The Pioneers (7-16, 3-11 LSC) dropped the first two set to the Lions (14-11, 8-6 LSC) before rallying big for the 29-27 win. Katy Ranes handed out a game-high 38 assists, and Makayla Mayfield registered a team-high 21 digs.
 
Oxford handed the Pioneers their first lead of the evening in set one following a pair of kills and a block alongside Erin Terry for a 4-3 TWU advantage. A kill by Jenkins tied the set at 7-all prior to three straight points by the Lions. The Pioneers pulled to within 11-10 on a TAMUC service error but then fell behind 16-12. A kill by Courtney Noel off of a block on the outside had the Pioneers two within 20-19, but a 5-1 Lion run closed out the set.
 
A back row attack by Oxford in set two gave TWU a 2-1 edge, and a kill by Katy Ranes and a service ace on the line by Erin Jones upped the margin to 5-3. Three straight aces by Ranes made it a 15-7 contest, but the Lions stormed back with an 8-1 run that quickly closed the gap to 16-15. TAMUC took a 20-19 lead on a Pioneer attack error before Haley Collins regained the advantage at 22-21 on a cross-court kill. At 23-23, the Lions sent over a serve that was called out but was overruled to give TAMUC a 24-23 lead, and a block by the Lions ended set two.
 
The third set was a battle as neither team lead by more than three. Ranes broke a 17-17 tie with a dump over the net, and a kill by Jenkins put the Pioneers up 20-18. An ace by Jenkins four plays later kept TWU to within two at 22-20. A block by Oxford and Collins put the Pioneers at set point at 24-23, but back-to-back Lion points handed TAMUC match point. TWU fought off another match point from the Lions at 27-26, and Jenkins put the Pioneers in contention to win with a kill at 28-27. A block by Skyler Friel and Ranes saved the match for TWU and sent the contest into a fourth set.
 
Two early Lion errors in set four granted the Pioneers a 7-4 lead before TAMUC erased the deficit to tie things up at 7-all. A block by Ranes and Oxford put the Pioneers in front at 10-8 until a four-point swing put the Lions ahead at 13-11. TAMUC scored three straight to take an 18-13 advantage and increased it to 22-14 on a Pioneer attack error, and moved to eventually take the match.
 
The Pioneers travel south for their next match at Texas A&M-Kingsville Saturday at 1 p.m.