DENTON, Texas (Sept. 8, 2023) – Kitty Magee Arena played host to a five set thriller on Friday night between Texas Woman's and the University of Central Oklahoma.
 
TWU (3-3) battled back from a 2-0 match deficit to force UCO (6-1) into a five set match.
 
UCO, who received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Top 25 Poll, recently recorded their lone loss of the season in a five set match against Southern Nazarene. Despite pressuring the Bronchos continuously down the stretch, the Pioneers were unable to string together the upset.
 
"Credit to UCO," TWU Head Coach Jeff Huebner said. "They made one more adjustment than we did, which proved to be the difference in the match, but tonight, we proved our program is in a place to consistently compete with a Top 25 volleyball program. We have to continue to believe that and live into that. I am very proud of our bench tonight. Whether they stepped in for a little time or a lot of time, every bench player changed the game and made a huge impact."
 
Although tonight shows up as a loss, the Pioneers grew tonight, as they climbed back from losing the first two sets. TWU did not back down, rather they continued to pressure and find ways to get points on the board.
 
The first two sets were close loses for TWU. In set one, the Pioneers started the match slow, allowing UCO to jump out to a quick 5-0 advantage. The early run set the tone for the opening set for the Bronchos, as they built upon their lead. At set point, 24-14, the Pioneers staved off the set loss for three straight points, ignited by a kill from Lexi Williams, to bring the Pioneers within seven, but UCO silenced the TWU fans with a kill to take set one, 25-17.
 
In set two, the crowd worked to energize the Pioneers to find the equalizing set. With renewed energy, TWU quickly began testing the Bronchos in set two. The Pioneers took an early 3-2 lead off a service ace from Eduarda Dutra, before continuing to trade points with UCO. Then, the Pioneers navigated a scoring slump and trailed by as much as six points.
 
However, they did give up; rather, they built point-by-point and pressured the Bronchos. Trailing 21-17, TWU went on a 3-0 run, which included two kills by Kady Hansen and a UCO attack error, to bring the Pioneers within one point, 21-20.
 
Nevertheless, TWU was unable to capitalize on their run and UCO closed the set with four straight points to take a 2-0 match lead.
 
In a must win set three, the Pioneers came out with that exact attitude – must win – and it showed on the court. The advantage for both teams kept changing, as the two teams were matching each other point-for-point. As the Pioneers were gaining the lead, a kill by Tori Woods reoriented the team and gave the Pioneers the 11-9 lead. Then, a block by Hansen sent everyone into an uproar, as TWU went ahead 12-9.
 
Following the Hansen block, the Bronchos went on a five point run to take a 14-12 lead, before a kill by Marina Obradovic silenced their run and brought the score to 14-13 with UCO still leading. The score then went back-and-forth again.  
 
UCO was leading 22-20 and the Pioneers needed to score if they wanted to extend the match – and score they did. TWU went on a 4-0 run to make it set point, 24-22. Although the Bronchos would score one more point, a monster block by Malia Viernes would excitedly close the set in favor of TWU.
 
Set three proved to be the momentum shifter for the Pioneers.
 
In set four, TWU continued to battle, as the scoring went much like the third set – back-and-forth with a lot of ties. Late in the set, the Bronchos jumped out to a 16-12 lead, but a 3-0 run brough the Pioneers back within one, 16-15.
 
Even though they still trailed, TWU kept their composure and still stayed connected. Trailing 18-17, an attack error by the Bronchos tied it up for the Pioneers. Then, a powerful, crowd-pleasing kill came from Kaia Saylor to give the Pioneers the late set lead, 19-18.
 
TWU was not going to lose set four, but UCO felt the same way – both teams putting their all into closing the set.
 
A kill by Kaia Saylor brough up set point for the Pioneers, 24-23, but then the ties kept coming. TWU fought off a match point by UCO, 26-25, with a kill by Woods and then an attack error by UCO to take a 27-25 advantage. The Bronchos would tie it at 27.
 
A Woods' kill and another UCO attack error brought the crowd into an uproar, as TWU forced a set 5, 29-27.
 
Set five followed the same trend of the set's three and four, before UCO jumped out to a 9-5 scoring run, which shifted the momentum to the Bronchos, as UCO would go on to win set five 15-9 and close the match 3-2.
 
Woods, Hansen and Saylor all recorded double-digit kills for the Pioneers. Woods finished with 18 kills, Hansen with 11 and Saylor closed with 10. Hansen also added three blocks to her stat sheet tonight.
 
Kiana Reed set up the Pioneers tonight with 21 assists, and Luna França led the way in digs with 17.
 
On the match, the Pioneers recorded 59 total kills and hit .208.
 
TWU is back in action tomorrow to close the Denton Volleyfest with two matches. The Pioneers will play Augustana at 11:30 a.m. and Arkansas Monticello at 4:30 p.m.