DENTON, Texas (Sept. 8, 2022) - Texas Woman's volleyball defended KMA on the first day of the Lone Star Conference Crossover.

TWU (7-3) sweeps Texas A&M International (7-3) at home in the first game of the Lone Star Conference Crossover. Following their big sweep of the Dustdevils, TWU rallied in game two against Western New Mexico (1-9), defeating the Mustangs three sets to one. 

Today's two wins totaled six victories in KMA for the Pioneers this season; additionally, the Pioneers win over WNMU marked Head Coach Jeff Huebner's 200th career win. 

Kicking off the morning at 10 a.m. against TAMIU, the Pioneers started off with great momentum in the first set against the Dustdevils with two back-to-back blocks from Kiya Yeoman and a block assist from Tori Woods. Defense was aggressive from the jump and the Pioneers carried this momentum into game two versus the Mustangs.. 

Although the Pioneers snuck past the Mustangs with a two set lead (25-18, 25-17), the Mustangs responded quickly and rallied in the third set. Point for point the Pioneers and Mustangs displayed endurance and grit.

As a team, TWU had a nearly flawless performance in set two versus the Mustangs registering a kill percentage of .448. 

Offensively the Mustangs held on tight in the third set, while the Pioneers cleaned up their offense and found their defensive rhythm. In the end, it was the Pioneers led by Lizzy Reed with 16 assists and the game winning kill from Kiya Yaemon to seal the victory in the third set 25-23. 

Redshirt freshman Kaia Saylor electrified the crowd and the Pioneers bench, by leading TWU with 33 kills and 38.5 points in total for both matches.

Like pressure makes diamonds, TWU proved pressure makes aces in their two matches today. The Pioneers scored seven aces against TAMIU, in which Saylor, Abbie Sprague and Lizzy Reed each recorded two aces. The first match was followed by five aces in game two versus the Mustangs. Reed scored a total of four service aces tonight for the Pioneers. 

"Having a young team means that every week we're different, we're better than our last match," TWU Head Coach Jeff Huebner said. "We had good blocks last week, but this week our blocking has improved by a lot. We make mistakes, but our talent reigns true, and our mental toughness will get us through those difficult matches." 

The Pioneers remain at home tomorrow, Sept. 9, in KMA, as they take on Cameron University at 6 p.m. Don't forget to wear maroon! 

- PIONEERS -