AUSTIN, Texas (Sept. 23, 2023) – Despite the game time moving from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Texas Woman's volleyball team remained prepared and went on to defeat St. Edward's in four sets on Saturday night.
 
TWU (10-3, 2-0) won their second match of the Lone Star Conference season against SEU (5-9, 1-1) to remain undefeated in the LSC, one of just five teams to do so in the opening weekend of conference action.
 
"I am very proud of our team tonight," TWU Volleyball Head Coach Jeff Huebner said. "We demonstrated great mental toughness throughout the day and into the match. While the match wasn't always clean, we made good adjustments and demonstrated poise throughout. Kaia and Cara really led the way today as seniors in play and communication. We appreciate our fans so much for surviving the long day with us!"
 
After falling to the Hilltoppers last year in their second LSC match, the Pioneers righted the record and defeated SEU in four sets to extend their 2023 winning streak to seven matches.
 
TWU had not played in Austin since 2013. 10 years later, history repeated itself, as the Pioneers won in four sets just as they did in 2013. However, the Pioneers defeated SEU at a different site, as the game had to be played at Concordia University due to difficulties in SEU's Recreation and Athletics Center.
 
The Pioneers also handed the Hilltoppers their first LSC loss of the season.
 
In the match, TWU hit .225, and for the eighth time this season and second straight match, the Pioneers held their opponents to hitting under .200, as SEU hit just .169 in the match.
 
The Pioneers, who currently rank third in the LSC in kills (13.67 per set), recorded 77 kills in the match. Cara Pool once again led the attack for TWU. Pool recorded her second straight match with double-digit kills, finishing the night with 16 kills and hitting .414. With eight matches hitting over .400, Pool still ranks first in the LSC in hitting percentage, averaging .412 on the season.
 
A pair of seniors led the way for the Pioneers in the way. Along with Pool, Kaia Saylor finished the match with 15 kills and hit .378. Tonight marked Saylor's fourth match this season with 10 or more kills.
 
Saylor also topped the Pioneer leader board on defense, finishing the night with seven block assists and two solo blocks for a career high nine total blocks. The middle blockers for the Pioneers – Kady Hansen and Pool – also aided in the protection at the net for TWU. Hansen added five block assists, and Pool contributed four block assists. In the win, TWU recorded 11 total blocks – a season high.
 
TWU dominated the serve game with four aces to just one for SEU. Lizzy Reed and Luna França each had two perfect serves.
 
The pair of Grace Reynolds and Kiana Reed set the Pioneers up for success once again. Reynolds led all players with 25 assists, her 12th match with double digit assists and her sixth match with more than 20 assists. Kiana Reed added 18 assists to the stat sheet – as she has finished every match this season with 10 or more assists.
 
For the third straight match and sixth time this season, Reynolds also recorded double dight assists, 18, to finish the night with a double-double. França tied Reynolds in digs, also with 18 – her ninth match with 15 or more digs.
 
Kiana Reed also finished the night with a double-double, her fifth of the season, as she recorded 16 digs in the match.
 
On their way to the victory tonight, the Pioneers started off the first set trailing for much of the set. After falling behind by three points, 16-13, TWU found their momentum and mounted a 6-0 run to flip the script and take a three point lead, 19-16. A kill from Lexi Williams gave the Pioneers the 21-19 advantage. TWU would allow SEU to score just one more point in the set, as they closed the set with a 3-0 run. A kill by Eduarda Dutra gave the Pioneers the first set win, 25-20.
 
TWU rode the energy from the first set straight into the second set, opening with a 7-1 advantage. The Hilltoppers would cut their deficit to two, 12-10, before the Pioneers quickly shut them down with five unanswered points to lead 17-10.
 
After dominating the set, TWU would once again close the set on a 3-0 run. Two kills from Tori Woods and one from Pool would seal the win, 25-17.
 
With the 2-0 match lead, the Pioneers battled the entirety of the third set to try and complete the sweep over the Hilltoppers. Trailing 24-23, a kill by Dutra knotted the score at 24, and an SEU attack error gave the Pioneers the match point advantage 25-24. Two quick points by the Hilltoppers would flip the score, giving them the one point lead, 26-25. A kill by Williams tied it at 26 each, but the Pioneers were unable to stop the final two set winning points from SEU, as TWU fell in set three 28-26.
 
Nevertheless, the Pioneers rebounded in set four. A back-and-forth scoring affair saw the Pioneers poise and maturity shine. A kill from Saylor gave the Pioneers the 18-13 advantage. Then, a kill by Hansen increased the Pioneers lead to six, 20-14. With just five more points to go, the Pioneers and Hilltoppers traded points for the remainder of the match. The lead built by TWU proved to be the difference maker. Two straight kills from Saylor would close the set in favor of the Pioneers, leading TWU to the 3-1 match win.
 
In the LSC, the Pioneers still hold at second in hitting percentage (.248). Additionally, they also rank in the top five in assists, coming in at fourth with 12.71 per set. 
 
The Pioneers are back on the road for their next LSC match against Angelo State on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m.