SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Oct. 18, 2025) – After falling down 2-0 on sets in the match, the Texas Woman's volleyball team stormed back to force a set five against St. Mary's on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the strong push by TWU (12-7, 5-3), StMU (8-11, 5-4) came back in set five to win the match, as they closed set five 17-15.

The Pioneers hit .198 on the match for 68 total kills to the Rattlers 61 kills on a .171 hitting percentage. TWU did relinquish nine aces and 11 blocks in the loss to StMU.

It marked just the second five-set match of the season for TWU. They move to 1-1 on the season in five set matches.

KEY PLAYERS

• Four Pioneers finished with double digit kills. Tori Woods led the Pioneers with 15 kills and hit .275. Myracle Stockman added 13 kills, Trinity Blackwood finished with a career high 12 kills and Jonaida Donowa matched her career high with 11 kills.
• Kiana Reed dished out the most assists for the Pioneers with 31 total – her second match with 30 or more assists this season. Reed finished with a double-double on the night, recording a career high 21 digs. It marked her ninth double-double of the season. Lorena Gómez finished with a career high 25 assists. She also added three aces and 14 digs to record her second double-double of the season.
• Three more Pioneers joined Reed and Gómez with double-digit digs. Alyssa Rojo recorded a career high 31 digs, marking her first match this season with 30 or more digs. Woods finished with 18 total digs to record her third double-double of the season. Syndey Garrison also added 14 digs.
• Benedite Anuman led the Pioneers in blocks with six total and added a career high eight kills and a career high three digs.

KEY MOMENTS

• Set one opened with runs by each team, as a kill from Stockman put TWU within one early, 5-4. Then, the Pioneers found their first lead of the match off a kill by Anuman, 7-6.
• Throughout the course of the middle of the set, the score would be tied four times. TWU would give up a 3-0 run to the Rattlers to allow them to lead 22-18. The Pioneers would score four more points to come within two after StMU brought up set point, 24-22. Nevertheless, after a service error by TWU, the Rattlers would claim set one, 25-22.
• The Pioneers would trail for the entirety of set two. They found their longest run of the set late, after trailing 22-15. A kill by Blackwood ignited a 4-0 run for TWU to bring them within three, 22-19. The Rattlers would then respond by scoring three straight to close the set, 25-19, and take a 2-0 set lead.
• In a must-win set three, TWU came out strong. They capitalized on back-to-back attack errors by the Rattlers and followed it up with a kill by Donowa and a block by Donowa and Stockman to take a 4-0 opening set advantage.
• The opening segment would set the tone for the must-win set for the Pioneers, as they would never trail in set three. They continually responded to any runs by StMU to limit their scoring. A kill by Donowa would bring up set point, 24-20. Then, a kill by Stockman ended the set in favor of TWU, 25-22, and extended the match for the Pioneers.
• TWU would trail in the opening of set four. After trailing 10-7, a kill by Blackwood would ignite an 8-2 run for the Pioneers and give them the advantage, 15-12. The Pioneers kept the scoring rolling, as a block by Anuman started a 5-0 run for TWU to put them ahead 21-14. They would only allow the Rattlers to score three more points, and the Pioneers would end the set with three straight points to win the set, 25-17, and force a set five.
• In set five, the Pioneers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. StMU answered with five straight points to take the lead 5-4. Then, the scoring went back-and-forth. Trailing by two, 14-12, the Pioneers scored two straight, off a kill by Woods and a kill by Blackwood, to tie the set at 14 all. A kill by Miriam Williams would keep TWU alive after a score by the Rattlers and tie the set at 15. Nevertheless, two unanswered points by StMU closed the set, 17-15, and the match, 3-2.

NEXT UP

The Pioneers return home for a conference meeting with RV Angelo State on Friday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m.