DENTON, Texas (Sept. 14, 2024) – On the final day of the Denton Volleyfest, the Texas Woman's volleyball team went undefeated.

TWU (4-3) returned to the win column on Saturday in an exciting day in Kitty Magee Arena. The Pioneers started off the day at 9 a.m. and brought the energy early, recording their first sweep of the season in their defeat of Henderson State (7-2).

Then, TWU closed out their home stand with a win in four set win over Pittsburg State (4-4).
 
IMPACT PLAYERS

FROM GAME ONE

• In the sweep, TWU had six aces to HSU's zero. Lizzy Reed led the Pioneers with three aces.
• Tori Woods recorded her second straight double-double and fourth of the season with 12 kills and 16 digs.
• TWU recorded six total blocks, and Kady Hansen, Malia Viernes and Kenn Jean-Louis all led the Pioneers with three block assists.
• Erin Jones joined Woods in double-digit kills, closing the match with 11 kills.
• Kiana Reed led the Pioneers in assists with 21 – her third match of the season with 20 or more assists

FROM GAME TWO

• Hansen, who was named to the Denton Volleyfest All-Tournament Team, finished the match with a career-high 18 kills and also added her first career ace to her stat line. Hansen ended the weekend with 47 kills, 10 blocks, one ace, and she hit .455 throughout the Denton Volleyfest.
• Woods recorded her fifth double-double of the season, finishing the game with 15 kills and 14 digs.
• Grace Reynolds also finished with her fifth double-double the season. She dished out 19 assists and 11 digs in the match.
• Jean-Louis hit a career-high six kills in the match.
• Luna França led with 23 digs, as Woods, Reynolds and Marina Obradovic (10) joined França with double-digit digs.
• Obradovic also led the Pioneers with two service aces.

 
PIONEER POWER MOMENTS

FROM GAME ONE

• TWU recorded their first sweep of the season, and they held HSU to less than 10 points in the third set.
• TWU hit .298 on the match, and they held HSU to hitting just .091.
• In set one, from 4-3 on the scoreboard, TWU never trailed the remainder of the set.
• HSU would come within two late, 14-12, but the Pioneers responded with a 3-0 run led by kill from Jones.
• To end set one, the Pioneers scored three straight points. A kill by Jean-Louis started the final run. After an attack error from the Reddies set up set point, an assist from Reynolds to Jones ended set one, 25-16, in favor of TWU.
• Set two saw eight ties. TWU trailed by one, 14-13, and responded by scoring four unanswered points. A kill by Jones set up the run, which included an ace from Lizzy Reed, a kill from Hansen and a kill from Viernes, to give TWU the lead, 17-14.
• The Pioneers would once again close set two with three straight points. A setter dump kill by Kiana Reed, followed by a kill from Jean-Louis to set up set point. Woods ended the set with an exciting kill, 25-20, as TWU claimed the 2-0 match lead.
• Set three was all TWU. The longest run of set was eight straight points scored by the Pioneers. In set three, the Pioneers held HSU to hitting -.077 with just five kills.
• A kill by Jones set up match point for TWU, and an attack error by the Reddies ended the match, as TWU recorded their first sweep of the 2024 season.

FROM GAME TWO

• In the first set, the Pioneers fell behind early, 6-3. They trailed for a majority of the first set, before a kill by Viernes ignited a4-0 run to put TWU on top by one, 16-15.
• TWU trailed 21-19. Then, they took the 22-21 advantage, before Pittsburg State quickly tied the match at 22.
• A kill by Woods and an attack error from the Gorillas brought up set point for TWU.
• An attack error would end the first set, 25-23, in TWU's favor.
• In the second set, TWU trailed 7-5. Then, Hansen took over for TWU at the service live and led a 5-0 run for the Pioneers to put TWU in front, 11-7.
• A kill by Woods put the Pioneers ahead, 21-17, but Pittsburg State battled back and went on a 9-3 run. Nevertheless, TWU remained locked in. A kill from Jean-Louis set up set point, 24-19. Then, a Viernes kill off a França assist ended the set for TWU, 25-22.
• TWU struggled to find momentum in the third set and fell 25-17.
• In the fourth set, the Pioneers reignited and started their run early, going ahead 6-1.
• The early lead gave TWU the energy they needed. They late 22-20 late, and two straight kills from Hansen set up match point.
• Hansen continued to have the hot hand and closed the match on a kill, 25-21.

 
FROM COACH JESSICA RANSOM

"I'm proud of the team for rebounding and ending with two wins for the weekend," Ransom said. "Playing in front of our home crowd is always fun, and we saw several good things. We are back to work on Monday to prepare for our next road trip."

NEXT UP

The Pioneers go on the road for their next matches, as they will compete in the Conference Crossover hosted by Texas A&M – Kingsville. They will meet the host Javelinas on Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. Then, they will play UT Tyler on Sept. 20 at 2 p.m.