By Bronte Hermesmeyer for TWU Athletics Communications

COMMERCE, Texas (Nov. 21, 2019) – Grit, toughness and determination are three characteristics a team must have in order to make a championship run.  

Texas Woman's displayed all of those characteristics on Thursday night to surprise No. 1 seed Texas A&M-Commerce in an exhilarating 25-21, 25-15, 18-25, 19-25, 15-8 victory in the quarterfinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament.

"When I was 13 years old, my dad told me one thing," head coach Jeff Huebner said. "Keep it simple. After winning the first two sets, we were just trying to hang on and win. That strategy didn't work, so in the fifth set, we just said 'let's go win the game.'"

 "When our kids put their teammates before themselves and do the right things from an execution perspective, volleyball is a simple game. We've done a really good job of keeping it simple, making good choices and working with a purpose."

Trixie Oche continued her outstanding sophomore campaign with 11 kills and seven blocks. Junior Tabitha Spray finished with a team-high 13 kills and added 14 digs for a double-double while hitting .343 on the evening. Senior Caroline Noel collected nine kills and five blocks while freshman Addison Mulroney finished with eight kills. Senior Bailey French had 25 digs to compliment long-time best friend Katy Ranes' 23 assists.

TWU's stingy defense didn't allow the Lions – one of the top-hitting teams in the league paced by Sydney Andersen who led all players with a career-high 24 kills – to hit above .077 in the first, second and fifth sets.

Oche, an All-LSC First Team selection this year, got the Pioneers rolling in the first set with two blocks and a kill. The Lions would end up taking an 18-17 lead later in the set before TWU responded with a 4-0 run to grab momentum in a huge first set victory.

"She's the next superstar," Huebner said of Oche. "She's one of the best blockers in our conference and probably across the nation."

TWU (17-14) wasted no time racing out to the lead in the second set either. An ace from Ranes and kills from Oche and Noel gave the Pioneers a 6-1 advantage, a lead they wouldn't relinquish during a dominating 25-15 victory in set two.

Although TWU was up 2-0, A&M-Commerce (24-6) showed why they are the regular season co-champions of the LSC. Their two outside hitters began to dominate, as they each hit over .400 in the third and fourth sets, to help the Lions force a decisive fifth set on their home court.
   
The Pioneers found themselves in do-or-die mode. A loss in the fifth set would end the season. So Huebner and his squad decided to make a few changes that opponents had never seen this year.

"We made some system adjustments before that fifth set that we usually never do," Huebner said. "As a team, we decided it was the right time for those adjustments, and it paid off in huge dividends."

After falling behind 3-0 to open the last frame, the Pioneers scored seven consecutive points to take their first lead since the second set.

The Lions narrowed the lead to 10-8 before the Pioneers ended the match on a 5-0 run. Mulroney's kill sealed the tournament's first major upset as TWU advances to the semifinals for the second time in three years.

TWU continues its tourney run at 7:30 p.m. Friday against No. 4 seed Tarleton State.