SALT LAKE CITY (Sept. 1, 2023) – On the second day of the Westminster Invitational, the Texas Woman's volleyball team fell in three sets to No. 16 Nebraska-Kearney (UNK).
 
TWU (0-2) came within two points in the first and third set, taking the Lopers to the brink, but were unable to upset nationally ranked UNK (1-0). While the Pioneers fell in three sets, the energy in Behnken Field House was electric, as TWU competed at a high-level for each and every point.
 
Throughout the match, hustle points – dives on the floor, fighting for position, strong blocks and explosive kills –pervaded as the shining feature of the Pioneers. Although they do not show up on the stat sheet as hustle points, these moments provide a strong foundation for the Pioneers as they continue with their 2023 nonconference schedule.
 
"Tonight's match was a strong development from yesterday," TWU Head Coach Jeff Huebner said. "We had some outstanding individual performances from Kady, Malia and Tori as well as some big improvements from our team conversations yesterday. Today, we stayed focused on our love for high level volleyball and our desire compete with the best teams in the country."
 
In the first set, the Pioneers jumped out to an early 3-1 lead with back-to-back kills by Malia Viernes. The Lopers responded with two quick points, before the teams began trading points. The first set included nine ties, with the last tie coming at 10-10 on the board.
 
Then, UNK mounted a 5-1 run to bring the score to 15-11. Cara Pool broke the Lopers' run with a kill off an assist by Kiana Reed.
 
The Pioneers continued to battle. An attack error by the Lopers, followed by a Kady Hansen kill brought the deficit down to one, 21-22, putting the pressure on UNK. Two straight points by the Lopers followed, but every time UNK felt they had room to stretch, TWU would return with fervor.
 
A kill by Pool again brought the Pioneers within one, 24-23, but TWU was unable to prevent the Lopers from claiming the set point, dropping the first set, 25-23.
 
TWU returned with renewed energy in the second set, as they quickly tied the game at four-a-piece after two attack errors from the Lopers, a kill by Hansen and a kill by Viernes. Then, UNK scored four unanswered points, 8-4, but a Lopers' service error and a kill by Tori Woods halted the run and brought the Pioneers within two, 6-8.  
 
Continuing to press, the Pioneers fought throughout set two, but fell into a scoring drought, during which the Lopers scored five unanswered points and led by seven, 18-11. Unable to overcome the deficit, TWU lost set two, 25-17.
 
Set three started off slow for the Pioneers. Despite facing an early 8-2 deficit, the Pioneers kept working and mounted a 5-1 run, which included two kills by Hansen, two kills by Viernes and an ace by Kiana Reed, to get within two, 9-7. Two seemed to be the number for the Pioneers, as they would cut the score to two, then the Lopers would push it back up again.
 
Never give up kept echoing as the mantra for the Pioneers. Down by two, 16-18, Viernes connected on a kill, which ignited the energy, as Woods followed with a kill to tie the match at 18. The Lopers answered, but TWU did as well, tying it up again at 19 after Grace Reynolds assisted on another Hansen kill.
 
Then, the Pioneers found their first lead of the set, 21-20, after back-to-back errors by UNK. Nevertheless, TWU could not build on the lead. They would get back within one point, 24-23, but the Lopers closed the set and match on a TWU attack error to win the match in three straight sets.
 
Woods led the Pioneers with 12 kills on the day. Viernes totaled 11, and Hansen added 10. With 10 kills in 17 attacks, Hansen hit .588 in the match to lead the offense of TWU. She currently leads the Lone Star Conference in overall hitting percentage, as she averages .600 across the first two matches.
 
Reynolds set the attackers up for success today, ending the match with 18 assists. Luna França dove on the floor and spearheaded the Pioneers' defense with 16 digs.
 
The Pioneers return to action at the Westminster Invitational tomorrow for two matches. They open the day at 11 a.m. against Purdue Northwest and close the Invitational against Saint Martin's at 3 p.m.