LUBBOCK, Texas (Sept. 15, 2023) – With a 3-0 win over Lubbock Christian tonight, the Texas Woman's volleyball team secured their third straight sweep.
 
TWU (7-3) handed LCU (7-2) their second straight loss and just their second loss of the 2023 season. With the win, the Pioneers remain undefeated in the Lone Star Conference Crossover.
 
"Road match wins in league are a big deal," TWU Volleyball Head Coach Jeff Huebner said. "Tonight, we did a good job of grinding through some points that weren't super clean, and we continued to make good decisions with the ball. Serve, block and defend was a little slow to start, but we really came alive throughout the match."
 
The three set sweep also extended the Pioneers' set winning streak to 12 straight sets, dating back to their five set win over Augustana on Sept. 15, when the Pioneers closed the five set victory with three straight set victories.
 
Additionally, for their second straight match, the Pioneers held their opponent to hitting under .100, as the Lady Chaps hit just .093 across the three sets. On the other side, TWU hit .232 on the match and currently ranks second in the LSC and 31st in Division II in team hitting percentage with a .246 percentage on the season.
 
Leading the offense for TWU was Cara Pool with 11 kills. Pool has led the Pioneers in their last two matches and officially claimed the title of most efficient attacker in the LSC with the highest hitting percentage of .414, which also ranks 13th in Division II. Kady Hansen joined Pool with double digit kills in the match, recording 10 on the night.
 
TWU once again topped their opponent from the service line, recording four aces. Grace Reynolds possessed the hot hand once again for TWU, as she connected on two aces. Reynolds currently ranks second in the LSC for service aces, averaging .52 aces per set with 16 total on the season. Not only was Reynolds key from the service line, she also contributed to the attacking success of the Pioneers with 15 assists in the match.
 
Also leading the Pioneers to offensive excellence was Kiana Reed. Kiana Reed topped the Pioneers' leaderboard with 17 assists. She also aided in TWU's strong defense, recording 10 digs in the win.
 
Luna França continued to be the anchor for the Pioneers' defense, leading all players with 14 digs.
 
The Pioneers came off a match last night in which they recorded 10 blocks – a mark they narrowly missed repeating tonight, as they finished the match with nine blocks. Hansen led the Pioneers in blocks with six block assists, Malia Viernes added four block assists and Pool finished with two block assists and one solo block.
 
While TWU got off to a slow start in set one, battling back-and-forth with the Lady Chaps, they closed the set with an 8-3 run. A kill by Tori Woods off an assist by Kiana Reed sealed the early 1-0 advantage for TWU, as they won set one 25-22.
 
To open the second set, TWU's energy continued to grow. An early kill by Eduarda Dutra gave the Pioneers the 3-1 advantage. TWU led 17-9 before the Lady Chaps responded with a four point run to bring the Pioneers' lead to four, 17-13.
 
Then, the Pioneers silenced the Lady Chaps run with a 5-0 run of their own to reclaim a nine point advantage, 22-13. TWU's defense held LCU to scoring just two more points in the set, as Pool claimed the final word for TWU in set two. A kill by Pool and a block by Pool and Kaia Saylor gave the Pioneers the 2-0 match lead.
 
TWU would never trail in set three, as they continued pushing the attack to disrupt the Lady Chaps. Back-to-back aces by Reynolds gave the Pioneers the 16-10 advantage in set three.
 
Late in the final set, LCU mounted a 4-0 run to cut the Pioneers' lead to one, 20-19, but the Pioneers remained calm and collected – not wavering in their mission.
 
After the Lady Chaps drew within one, TWU did not allow them to score another point. The Pioneers closed set three with a 5-0 run. Back-to-back kills by Malia Viernes emphatically closed set three for TWU, 25-19, and sealed the three straight sweep.
 
The Pioneers will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at the LSC Crossover in Lubbock, Texas against UT Permian Basin at 12 p.m.