DENTON, Texas (Sept. 16, 2017) - Texas Woman's University volleyball defeated fifth-ranked Angelo State in five sets (25-18, 25-19, 19-25, 15-25, 15-12) Saturday afternoon inside Kitty Magee Arena to notch the biggest upset in program history.
 
Before the victory over ASU, the biggest win over a ranked opponent occurred during the 2013 season where the Pioneers beat No. 11 Washburn, 3-1. In the victory over the Belles (8-3, 1-2 LSC), Miri Shade and Haley Collins each recorded a team-high 12 kills, while Kerstin Jenkins and Briley Cole-Lewis added 11 apiece. Jenkins also tallied 17 digs for her third double-double of the year, Katy Ranes delivered a game-high 50 assists, and Bailey French handled a game-high 20 digs.
 
The Pioneers trailed midway through set one at 13-9 before igniting a comeback via an 8-0 run beginning with a kill by Collins and completed by back-to-back kills by Cole-Lewis. Jenkins landed a cross-court kill and another off of a Belle block for a for a 21-15 advantage. Erin Jones finished off a rally for a TWU point with a deep boot over the net that landed on ASU's endline to close the set.
 
A Shade kill gave TWU a 10-9 lead in set two, and three straight Belle errors put the Pioneers up 16-12. A tip by Jenkins kept the Pioneers up 17-14, and a block by Shade and Collins extended the lead to 20-15. ASU closed to within 20-17, but three straight TWU points made it 23-17 before Shade fired through a block to put the Pioneers up two games in the match.
 
A Belle attack error tied set three at 5-all until ASU scored four straight for a 9-5 edge. The ASU lead grew to 15-9, but the Pioneers closed the margin to 15-14 following a block by Shade and Collins, a Ranes service ace and a Shade kill. Cole-Lewis placed a kill across the tape to keep TWU within 20-18, but the Pioneers were only able to muster one more point throughout the set.
 
Cole-Lewis began the fourth set on a kill, but TWU was unable to regain the lead. A kill by Jenkins tied things at 6-6, but the Belles took the lead at 14-9 on a block and then extended it to 21-13. A kill by Makayla Mayfield stalled ASU at set-point for a play before the Belles sent down a kill.
 
In the decisive fifth set, consecutive kills by Collins and Shade put the Pioneers up 2-1, but a pair of ASU kills gave the visitors a 5-3 advantage. Jenkins put down a kill at the halfway point of the set at 8-7, and a solo block by Shade placed the lead at 10-8. Noel tipped a shot over the blockers at 11-9, and Ranes dropped set over the net for a point at 13-10. Collins hit a shot to the back corner for match point, and Cole-Lewis smoked a defender with a final kill for the victory.
 
Head Coach Jeff Huebner said," I'm really proud of our kids for playng with great resiliency. Senior leadership really did a lot for us and showed a ton of maturity. It's good to have an opportunity to beat the number five team in the country."
 
One of the biggest wins for us was the game day environment, our fans, band and dance team. Our students and families were terrific and really helped us throughout the match"
 
The Pioneers host Texas A&M-Commerce Tuesday at 7 pm.