LUBBOCK, Texas (Sept. 14, 2023) – For the second straight game in a row and third time this season, the Texas Woman's volleyball team swept a team in three straight sets.
 
In the first match of the Lone Star Conference Crossover hosted by Lubbock Christian, TWU (6-3) met Oklahoma Christian (6-3) and defeated the Eagles 3-0, handing OC its first loss since the opening weekend on Sept. 1.
 
"I'm proud of our work this week in the practice gym," TWU Head Coach Jeff Huebner said. "Our players demonstrated important focus against a good volleyball team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Blocking was a huge focus this week, and while we still have work to do this is an important step forward. Grace and Kiana were terrific leaders for our team, vocally and making valuable setting decisions. I am looking forward to tomorrow!"
 
The Pioneers won each set by eight or more points, outscoring the Eagles 57-34 on the match. On their way to defeating OC, TWU's victory was largely propelled by their serving and their defense.
 
Throughout the match, TWU recorded 10 aces to the Eagles' three. Grace Reynolds led the way from the service line for the Pioneers, closing the match with a career-high five aces. Tori Woods and Eduarda Dutra both added two aces in the victory – a career-high mark for Dutra.
 
On defense, the Pioneers controlled the play at the net, finishing the match with 10 total blocks. Cara Pool dominated the defense, recording a season-high six block assists. Kaia Saylor and Kady Hansen each added four block assists for the Pioneers.
 
Additionally, TWU held Oklahoma Christian to hitting just .028 – the lowest hitting percentage of any Pioneers' opponent this season.
 
TWU hit .228 on the match and was led in the attack by Pool with eight kills, Saylor with seven kills and Malia Viernes with seven kills. In the Lone Star Conference, the Pioneers currently rank second in overall hitting percentage, averaging .247 on the season.
 
Pool, who hit .700 in the match against Oklahoma Christian, currently ranks second overall in the LSC for hitting percentage, averaging .410 on the season.
 
Credit for setting up the Pioneers' attackers for success goes to the play of TWU's two setters in the match – Reynolds and Kiana Reed. Both closed the match with double-digit assists on the afternoon, as Reynolds recorded 14 and Kiana Reed finished with 10.
 
The Pioneers successfully led well from every position in the match, bringing the energy early on and never letting up.
 
Although the first set marked the closest score of all three sets, TWU controlled the set from the beginning, jumping out to the early 9-6 advantage, and the Pioneers never looked back. They closed the set on a 3-0 run. A kill by Woods off an assist by Reed sealed the first set for TWU, 25-17.
 
In the second set, the Pioneers trailed to start the set, 5-2. After back-and-forth scoring, the Eagles were leading 9-8, but TWU responded with a flurry of points, mounting a 14-1 run to silence the scoring of OC and lead the match 22-10. During the run, TWU scored four aces to continually throw the Eagles out of balance and keep the momentum rolling.
 
A kill by Lexi Williams set up the set point for the Pioneers, and Hansen connected on the set closing kill, 25-15, to give the Pioneers the 2-0 advantage heading into set three.
 
Set three was all Pioneers, as TWU continued to ride the energy they had generated throughout the entire match.
 
A block by Hansen and Woods increased the lead to six and set up a 7-0 run in the closing set. At the end of the 7-0 run, TWU led by 10 points, 17-7.
 
The Pioneers never trailed in the set, as they stayed poised. Williams once set up set and match point for TWU, and Kiya Yeoman ended the match with a deafening kill, as TWU won set three, 25-14, and completed the three set sweep.
 
TWU will play their second match of the LSC Crossover on Friday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. against the host Lubbock Christian.