DENTON, Texas (Nov. 4, 2023) – On senior day in Kitty Magee Arena, the Texas Woman's volleyball team defeated Texas A&M Kingsville in five sets.
 
TWU (18-7, 10-4) handed fourth in the LSC TAMUK (18-7, 10-3) their third loss in LSC action. The Pioneers currently are tied for fifth in the LSC standings with UAFS, who they will meet next week. Additionally, both the Pioneers and the Javelinas were included on the first round of NCAA South Central Regional rankings, which were released in alphabetical order on Nov. 1.
 
The Pioneers are currently on a four match win streak. With their 10th win in LSC action on Saturday afternoon, TWU sits one win away from tying their most wins in LSC action since 2019. Their win today also marked their 18th overall win of the season, which ties their most wins since 2018.
 
This year's success could not be possible without the hard work and dedication of the Pioneers' four seniors, Cara Pool, Kaia Saylor, Lexi Williams and Kiya Yeoman, who laid a strong foundation for the program. These four seniors came to TWU and played their freshman season in 2020, when COVID restrictions were in place, and have modeled commitment and perseverance to lead the team to its success.
 
"What a great way to finish our 2023 season at home," TWU Volleyball Head Coach Jeff Huebner said. "KMA has been our favorite place to be, and winning 17-15 in set five on Senior Day is a great bookend to our 2023 home campaign. Kaia, Cara, Kiya and Lexi have left a legacy of perseverance and excellence on KMA, and we are so proud of each of them as people and players. Tonight, we had excellent performance from our starters and individuals who came off the bench to immediately impact the game. The maturity of our players tonight cannot be understated. Congratulations to the seniors on a terrific legacy in KMA, we cannot wait to continue our journey together day-by-day."
 
The Pioneers hit .259 on the match and finished with a season high 71 total kills. The senior, Saylor, led the way in explosive fashion for TWU, as she finished the match with 25 kills and hit .477.
 
Tori Woods, who was the other Pioneer to join Saylor in double-digit kills with 14, was one of three Pioneers to record a double-double in the match, Woods' 14 kills and 16 digs marked her seventh double-double of the season. Kiana Reed also finished with a double-double, dishing out 25 assists and recording 10 digs – her eighth double-double of the season. The final Pioneer to finish with a double-double was Grace Reynolds, who topped the TWU leader board in assists with 33 and added 17 digs to her stat line for her ninth double-double of 2023.
 
Over the five sets, the Pioneers, who rank third in the LSC in service aces, connected on 11 aces in the match to TAMUK's eight. Kiana Reed led the way with a career high four perfect serves, and Reynolds added three.
 
Luna França led the Pioneers in the dig category with 18.
 
The match proved to be a back-and-forth high intensity affair between two talented opponents. Over the course of the five sets, the score was tied 20 times and the lead changed 12 times.
 
With the energy high in the gym, TWU came out in set one ready. Despite trailing 18-17 late in the set, the Pioneers mounted a 4-0 run to take a three point advantage, 22-19. The Javelinas would make a late push to come within one, 23-22. Nevertheless, a monster block by the seniors, Saylor and Pool, created set point for TWU and a service ace by Lizzy Reed ended the set, 25-22, to give the Pioneers the early 1-0 lead.
 
In set two, the scoring went back-and-forth, as it was tied seven times and the lead changed five times. TWU broke through to score three unanswered points, including back-to-back strong kills by Saylor to give the Pioneers the two point lead, 10-8. A kill by Tori Woods would set up the first time TWU saw their largest lead of the set at four points, 19-15.
 
The Pioneers would once again lead by four, 23-19, following a block by Eduarda Dutra. The Javelinas would answer Dutra's block with five straight points to set up set point, 24-23. Two straight points by the Pioneers would give TWU a look at set point, 25-23, before TAMUK answered by scoring two points again, bringing the score to 26-25.
 
A kill from Kady Hansen would tie it at 26, but a final 2-0 run for the Javelines would end the thrilling set, 28-26, and even the match at 1-1.
 
Set three was all maroon, as the Pioneers came out with a fervor. TWU would hold TAMUK to just seven kills in the set on .156 hitting, as the Javelinas scored just 15 points in the set.
 
Kills by the seniors, Yeoman and Williams, would end the set in roaring fashion in favor of the Pioneers, 25-15.
 
In the fourth set, the Pioneers led for most of the start. A kill by Marina Obradovic set up a two point advantage for TWU, 13-11. The, the Javelinas went on a 5-0 run to reclaim the lead, 16-13.
 
TWU was unable to overcome the deficit and fell in set four, 25-18, to bring up set five action in KMA.
 
With the crowd on their feet cheering for the win, the Pioneers opened the fifth set with three straight points to lead, 3-0. A monster block by Hansen and Saylor would keep the Pioneers' lead at three, 7-4. Three unanswered points by the Javelinas would tie the set at 7-7.
 
Then, TWU responded with three straight points of their own to go back up by three, 10-7. The scoring would then proceed to go back-and-forth. Saylor would set up the first match point for the Pioneers, 14-13, but TAMUK scored two straight to flip the script, 15-14.
 
A kill by Saylor brought the house down in excitement, as her 25th kill of the match tied the score 15-15. Malia Viernes responded to the energy and sent a detonating kill straight to the floor on the Javelinas' side to give the Pioneers the match point situation, 16-15.
 
An attack error by TAMUK would end the exciting Senior Day match with TWU victorious, winning set five 17-15 and winning the match 3-2.
 
The Pioneers will close out the regular season on the road this week. Their first stop will be Friday, Nov. 10 against Oklahoma Christian at 6 p.m.
 
Hear from Head Coach Jeff Huebner and Assistant Luiza Andrade after the win: https://youtu.be/9uY7w-cHCpw.