Women's Volleyball 10/7/2012 1:50:00 AM

Volleyball Hangs On to Top Newman

Box Score WICHITA, Kansas – The TAMIU volleyball team improved to 3-4 in conference play Saturday afternoon, outlasting Newman University in five sets 26-28, 26-24, 25-21, 23-25, and 15-11.
The win brings TAMIU to within one game of St. Edward’s and St. Mary’s for fourth place in the Heartland Conference standings.

Senior middle blocker Jacquelynne Matula had a season high 15 kills hitting .367 with one dig and three blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Alex Ciszek matched Matula’s effort with 15 kills of her own, adding nine digs and an ace. Junior outside hitter Andrea Marshall had TAMIU’s lone double-double of the match, tallying 13 kills and 19 digs. Senior setter Daria Winckler finished with 47 assists, four kills, and six digs, while junior libaro Desiree Ortiz racked up a team high 24 digs.

“This was a match we felt we should’ve won in three, but Newman played hard as we expected and we let a few opportunities slip away,” said Head Coach Marlon Sano. “We’re really proud of our middles Paige and Jackie for their performance tonight, both hitting over .300. Andrea also really picked up her game, Desiree played great for us as usual, and Maddie had some critical digs to help us win some key rallies.”

Trailing in the opening set 21-24, the Dustdevils rattled off three straight points to even the score. The home team would win four of the next six points however, taking the first set 26-28.

TAMIU found themselves in a similar situation late in the second set, trailing 23-19. The Dustdevils would once again fight back scoring the next five straight points with kills by Pratt, Matula, and Marshall to take a 24-23 lead. After an error tied the set at 24, Marshall and Matula fired off two straight kills to give TAMIU the second set 26-24.

After taking the third set 25-21, the Dustdevils roared out to a big 12-3 lead to start the fourth. Credit the Jets for keeping their composure as they came right back with an 11-2 run to tie the set at 14. The two teams went back and forth until Newman broke a 23-23 tie with two straight kills to claim set number four 23-25.

In the fifth and final set, the two teams started out to a 5-5 score before TAMIU won six of the next nine points to grab an 11-8 advantage. Newman was able to pull within one at 11-10, but that’s as close as they would get as the Dustdevils closed on a 4-1 run to take the match with a 15-11 win.

The ladies return to conference action Friday evening at 7 p.m., hosting rival St. Mary’s in a crucial matchup in the battle for the fourth and final spot in the conference tournament. Friday’s match will get underway at 7 p.m. at the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building.

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