DALLAS, Texas (Nov. 16, 2023) – In the quarterfinal round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament, the Texas Woman's volleyball team fell to the No. 2 seed West Texas A&M.
 
TWU (19-9, 11-5) battled a close set two with WT (26-3, 14-12), but ultimately fell in three sets to the Lady Buffs on Thursday afternoon.
 
"I am proud of the way we competed in a loss," TWU Volleyball Head Coach Jeff Huebner said. "Our mental approach and effort were in the right space today, and we came up short in the right way. We served and received well and stayed aggressive attacking throughout the match."
 
On the match, the Pioneers hit .127 to record 30 kills, while WT hit .343 and finished the match with 45 kills. Kaia Saylor led the offensive attack for TWU with eight kills in the match. Cara Pool added seven kills, and Tori Woods recorded six kills to round out the top three for the Pioneers.
 
Kady Hansen led the Pioneers in attack percentage, hitting .667, and Malia Viernes also finished with an efficient performance, hitting .500 in the match.
 
As a team, TWU dished out 30 assists against the Lady Buffs. LSC Newcomer of the Year Grace Reynolds led with 16 assists – her 22nd match with 15 or more assists this season. Also finishing with double digit assists for the Pioneers was Kiana Reed. Reed closed the match with 12 digs, marking her seventh straight match with double-digit assists.
 
The Pioneers two perfect serves came from the No. 2 server in the LSC Reynolds. Averaging 0.47 aces set, Reynolds finished the match with two aces for TWU.
 
TWU recorded just one less dig than the Lady Buffs, 42-41. Luna França led the Pioneers with 13 digs – her 26th match with 10 or more digs.
 
Set one started off with intensity, as TWU and WT battled point-for-point. TWU trailed by just one after a kill by Woods to bring the score to 10-9. Following the Woods' kill, the Lady Buffs mounted a 9-0 run, as the Pioneers struggled to find the silencing point. WT would close the first set, 25-10.
 
With renewed energy, the Pioneers came out in set two ready to battle. TWU matched the Lady Buffs point-for-point and brought the exciting celebrations to set two. In the set, the score was tied 12 times, and there were seven lead changes.
 
With the score 10-8 and WT with the lead, Pool connected on a kill, and Reynolds scored an ace to knot the score at 10 each. After one more point by the Lady Buffs, TWU would score two straight points to take their first lead of the match, 12-11.
 
Late in the set, a 3-0 run ignited by a kill by Viernes would give the Pioneers a late set lead, 19-17. TWU would continue to keep their foot on the gas, but WT would end the set on a 5-2 run to win the close battle of the second set, 25-23.
 
In set three, TWU worked to find their rhythm. They would tie the set early 2-2 and would consistently work to silence the Lady Buffs' runs. Nevertheless, after the 2-2 tie, WT would lead the rest of the way and close set three, 25-15, to win the match.
 
Most recently in the NCAA South Central Regional Ranking, TWU was ranked No. 10. The final Selection Show will be on Monday, Nov. 20, as the top eight teams advance to the NCAA Tournament.
 
"We have a terrific resume and hopefully are able to lean on the work we have done this year to earn a regional bid," Huebner said.

Hear from Grace Reynolds, Kaia Saylor and Coach Jeff Huebner after the game: https://youtu.be/1aN_sFcn8Sg