DENTON, Texas (Oct. 4, 2024) – The Texas Woman's volleyball team had a sweep Saturday in Kitty Magee Arena, as they defeated Sul Ross State in three sets.

TWU (8-5, 2-2) recorded their second sweep of the season, holding SRSU (1-9, 1-3) to just 27 total points on the day.

Prior to this meeting, TWU had only met SRSU once prior in 1988 in Denton, Texas, and the Pioneers swept the Lobos in that match as well. TWU is now 2-0 all-time against SRSU – both victories coming in sweeps.

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Malia Viernes led the Pioneers in kills with 14 and also recorded 11 digs on the day – finishing with her fifth double-double of the season.
• Kady Hansen finished with 12 kills and just one error, hitting .647 on the day. She also added three block assists to her stat line.
• Tori Woods also recorded double-digit kills in the match, finishing the three sets with 11. She added two aces, one block and four digs on the day.
• Luna França led the Pioneers in digs with 14.
• Grace Reynolds topped the Pioneer leader board in assists with 20, marking her 10th match this season with 20 or more assists. She added two aces and seven digs to her stat line.
• Kiana Reed finished the match with double-digit assists, ending with 16.  
• Veirnes, Hansen and França all added aces in the match.

PIONEER POWER MOMENTS

• The Pioneers hit a season-high .358 on the match. They held SRSU to hitting just .055 on the day, marking the second lowest hitting percentage by a TWU opponent this season.
• The Pioneers finished the match with seven aces to the Lobos' two. Additionally, TWU recorded 45 assists to SRSU's 20, which lead to 48 TWU kills and 21 SRSU kills.
• In the first set, TWU established their lead after a 7-0 run to lead by seven, 17-10. A kill by Hansen ignited the run, which included three attack errors by the Lobos.
• A block by Cara Pool and Viernes would set up set point, 24-15. Then, an ace by Viernes would end the set for TWU, 25-15.
• The score went back-and-forth in set two, until TWU took a five-point lead, 15-10, after a 3-0 run, which was started by Pool. SRSU responded to come within one, 15-14, after scoring four straight points.
• Woods placed a kill off the assist from Kiana Reed. Then, the Pioneers scored seven points to just one Lobos' point to increase their lead, 23-16.
• Reynolds to Hansen would be the recipe twice to end set two for TWU, 25-17.
• Set three was all maroon. The Pioneers scored nine straight to open the set and take a decisive 9-1 lead.
• TWU never looked back, holding SRSU to just nine points in the third set, which tied the lowest score by a TWU opponent in a 25-point set this season. Henderson State also scored nine points in the Pioneers' three-set win over them on Sept. 14.
• A kill by Viernes from Haley Mullaney set up match point, and an attack error from the Lobos ended the match, 25-9, and clinched the sweep for the Pioneers.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JESSICA RANSOM

"This match was good for us to refocus on our side of the net before a long week ahead," Coach Ransom said. "We are excited to be back home on Tuesday!"

NEXT UP

The Pioneers will be back at home on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. in Kitty Magee Arena to play their final non-conference match of the 2024 season against East Central. The Pioneers will also be celebrating Faculty and Staff Appreciation.