KINGSVILLE, Texas (Sept. 22, 2017) - Briley Cole-Lewis collected a career-high 16 kills and Miri Shade matched with 16 of her own, but Texas Woman's University fell 3-1 to Texas A&M-Kingsville Friday afternoon inside Gil E. Steinke Physical Education Center.
 
TWU (4-8, 2-2 LSC) performed well offensively by producing a season-best .281 attack percentage, while the Javelinas ((9-5 , 2-1 LSC) were slightly better at .289. Haley Collins totaled nine kills and five blocks, while Courtney Noel added nine kills for the Pioneers in the four-set loss (25-23, 23-25, 20-25, 20-25).
 
TWU jumped to a 4-0 lead in set one and held the advantage until the Javelinas tied things up at 12-12. A&M-Kingsville grabbed the lead at 16-15, but two kills by Noel handed the edge back to the Pioneers. Trailing 21-20, Collins and Shade produced kills to lead TWU to a win.
 
In set two, the Javelinas opened with a 12-8 edge and grew the lead to 19-12. A kill by Shade, block by Collins and Shade, and two service aces by Bailey French closed the game to within 19-16. A&M-Kingsville gained set point at 24-20, but a Cole-Lewis kill and two Javelina errors brought the Pioneers close until a final kill by TAMUK.
 
A kill by Cole-Lewis in set three brought TWU to within 12-11 before A&M-Kingsville increased the lead to 16-12. Head Coach Jeff Huebner called for a timeout with the Pioneers trailing 19-14 following a Javelina ace, and TWU responded with a block by Noel alongside Jenkins and kills from Noel and Shade to close to 19-17. A TAMUK attack error and kill by Shade knotted the set at 19-all, but the Javelinas finished on a 6-1 run.
 
Set four included four lead changes and 11 ties with the final Pioneer lead change occurring at 9-8 on a block by Nole and Shade. A kill by Cole-Lewis tied the set at 15-15 before the Javelinas recorded four straight points. A block by Collins and Jenkins pulled the Pioneers to within 23-20, but A&M-Kingsville finished the match on a kill and service ace.
 
Huebner said, "Our team played tough against one of the top teams in the region. We got some great play from Courtney, Miri and Briley. We learned a lot about what it takes to win road matches in a great conference. Looking forward for another opportunity next week."
 
The Pioneers travel to Midwestern State Sept. 29 for a 7 p.m. match.