DENTON, Texas (Sept. 4, 2026) – The Texas Woman's volleyball team earned its first win of the 2026 season Friday night, rallying from an opening-set loss to defeat Central Oklahoma 3-1 on the second day of the Marriott Inn & Suites Corinth – Denton Volleyfest at Kitty Magee Arena.
The Pioneers (1-5) responded after dropping a tightly contested first set, 26-24, by taking control of the match on both sides of the net.
TWU hit .406 in the second set and followed with a pair of strong offensive performances in the final two frames to complete the comeback, winning 25-19, 25-21 and 25-17.
TWU finished the night with 56 kills while hitting .253 as a team, its strongest offensive performance of the season.
The Pioneers also held Central Oklahoma (4-3) to a .119 hitting percentage and finished with 22 total blocks, using a balanced attack and strong defensive effort to close out the four-set victory.
After falling behind early in the match, the Pioneers steadily built momentum.
They won three consecutive sets and closed the fourth set by hitting .366 with 17 kills.
TWU's offensive efficiency and ability to limit Central Oklahoma's attack proved to be the difference as the Pioneers secured their first victory of the season.
PRIME PERFORMERS
- Mary Grace King paced the Pioneers with a team-high 17 kills while hitting .283 and adding nine digs, four blocks and one service ace.
- Montserrat Soto-Talavera delivered an efficient offensive performance with nine kills on 13 attacks, hitting .615 while adding nine blocks and one service ace.
- Gracie Erichsen recorded eight kills while hitting .280 and added five digs.
- Trinity Blackwood finished with eight kills as well as seven total blocks, including one solo block.
- Alyssa Rojo led the Pioneers defensively with a team-high 19 digs while adding seven assists and two service aces.
- Lorena Gómez directed the offense with 25 assists and added eight digs and one service ace, while Allison Watson contributed 15 assists.
KEY MOMENTS
Set 1 Battle: TWU and Central Oklahoma battled through a competitive opening set, with the Bronchos eventually edging the Pioneers, 26-24.
Set 2 Response: The Pioneers answered in the second set, hitting .406 with 15 kills and just two errors.
Set 3 Strong Finish: TWU continued its offensive momentum in the third set, recording 12 kills while holding Central Oklahoma to a .081 hitting percentage.
Set 4 Clincher: The Pioneers saved their strongest offensive performance for the final set, hitting .366 with 17 kills.TWU closed out the match with a 25-17 victory.
NEXT UP
The Pioneers will close out the Marriott Inn & Suites Corinth – Denton Volleyfest on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Southern Arkansas at 11:30 a.m. followed by a match against Stanislaus State at 5:30 p.m.
-PIONEERS-
