DENTON, Texas (Sept. 3, 2026) – The Texas Woman's Volleyball team opened its home schedule Thursday night against Southern Nazarene on the first day of the Marriott Inn & Suites Corinth – Denton Volleyfest.
TWU (0-5) battled throughout the match, pushing Southern Nazarene (6-0) to extra points in Set 2, but the Pioneers ultimately fell in three sets, 25-23, 30-28, 25-19.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Mary Grace King paced the Pioneers offense with a team-high 15 kills while adding 11 digs for a strong all-around performance.
- Trinity Blackwood followed with 13 kills.
- Gracie Erichsen also contributed 13 kills to help lead TWU's balanced attack.
- Lorena Gómez directed the offense with 33 assists and added eight digs and one service ace.
- Alyssa Rojo led the Pioneers defensively with a team-high 16 digs, while also contributing three assists.
- Nia Johnson recorded two service aces to lead TWU from the service line.
- Kaysie Nabors led the Pioneers at the net with two blocks.
KEY MOMENTS
Set 1 Early Battle: TWU jumped out to a 4-1 lead early in the opening set, with kills from
Nia Johnson and
Gracie Erichsen. The Pioneers continued to battle and held a 13-10 advantage before Southern Nazarene responded with a run to even the set.
Set 1 Late Push: After Southern Nazarene built a 20-15 lead, TWU fought back behind kills from
Kaysie Nabors and
Trinity Blackwood. The Pioneers pulled within one at 22-21, but the Crimson Storm closed the set, 25-23.
Set 2 Extra-Points Thriller: TWU produced its strongest offensive set of the night, hitting .269 while recording 21 kills. The Pioneers battled through multiple lead changes and took a 28-27 advantage, but Southern Nazarene answered with three straight points to claim the set, 30-28.
Set 3 Strong Finish: Southern Nazarene came out firing in the third set, hitting .429 and building control of the frame. TWU continued to battle behind King, Blackwood and Erichsen, but the Crimson Storm finished the match with a 25-19 victory.
NEXT UP
The Pioneers will continue action at the Marriott Inn & Suites Corinth – Denton Volleyfest on Friday, Sept. 4 against Central Oklahoma. Match time is set for 3 p.m.
-PIONEERS-
