STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Nov. 18, 2017) - The deepest run for Texas Woman's University volleyball in two decades within the Lone Star Conference Tournament came to a close for the Pioneers in a 3-0 loss (14-25, 18-25, 19-25) at No. 15 Tarleton State in the LSC finals Saturday inside Wisdom Gym.
 
TWU (16-18, 10-10 LSC) made its third appearance in the LSC championship match in program history by defeating No. 25 Angelo State and Texas A&M-Commerce in the first two rounds of the 2017 tournament before the season-ending loss to the 15^th-ranked team in the nation, host and No. 1 seed TSU.
 
Bailey French, Katy Ranes and Miri Shade earned All-Tournament Team honors for the efforts throughout the championship. Against the TexAnns (29-5, 18-2 LSC), Shade and Courtney Noel each recorded a team-high seven kills. Ranes handed out 19 assists, and French totaled 11 digs. The Pioneers hit .076 compared to .200 by TSU, and TWU accumulated 26 kills to 37 by the TexAnns.
 
The Pioneers fell behind 7-1 in the first set, and Tarleton built an 11-2 advantage. A kill and two aces by Kerstin Jenkins closed the deficit to 12-7. Back-to-back blocks by Shade and Courtney Noel along with an ace from Courtney Noel pulled TWU to within 14-10, but the TexAnns rallied off five straight points to increase the lead to 19-10. Shade put down a kill, and Caroline Noel and Briley Cole-Lewis combined for a block, but TSU went on the claim the win.
 
Ranes served up two aces in the second set for a 3-1 lead, and a block by Caroline Noel and Cole-Lewis gave the Pioneers a 5-3 edge. A 5-0 TSU run put the TexAnns back in front at 8-5, but TWU closed to 11-9 after kills by Courtney Noel and Shade. A 6-1 run by the TexAnns pushed the lead to 18-11 as TSU was then able to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
Kills from Shade, Caroline Noel and Cole-Lewis put the Pioneers in front at 10-8 in set three before two Tarleton kills tied things at 11-all. The TexAnns went up at 14-12 before a Ranes kill cut the margin to one point. TSU rallied to take an 18-14 lead before French and Caroline Noel came through with kills to bring the deficit down to two. Six straight points by the TexAnns built up to match-point at 24-16, and Cole-Lewis was able to add a kill and block with Caroline Noel before TSU scored the final point.
 
Head Coach Jeff Huebner said, "Our team learned a lot about what it means to win a championship in the Lone Star Conference. We competed at the highest level, placed three student-athletes on the All-Tournament Team and have so much to be thankful for. Our seniors leave a lasting legacy of excellence, we return a core group with a ton of experience, and we have a staff committed to greatness.
 
"Thanks to our administration for their continual support, our athletic trainer, and our parents, fans, TWU band and Pioneer Pride for making this season one for the record books."