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ODESSA, Texas – A battle of winless teams in Odessa on Thursday night set the stage for either the University of the Permian Basin or Texas A&M International to emerge with an initial victory in the 2013 Heartland Conference campaign.
After dropping the first game at home, it was the Lady Falcons (1-4, 1-0 Heartland) that sunk their talons into that first victory. TAMIU falls to 0-6 overall and 0-2 in the Heartland after the 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-16) defeat. The Dustdevils have seen a first-game lead evaporate three times this season – against both Azusa Pacific and California State-Stanislaus in the Seaside Invitational and on Thursday.
The Dustdevils roared on offense in the first game, drilling a .256 hitting percentage with 17 kills off 39 total attacks, but their percentage plummeted as the match swirled into despair. The Dustdevils hit only -0.40, .107 and -0.24 in the next three games, combining for an emaciated 0.83 team hitting percentage.
Toriana Goods served as a shining and swinging bright spot, compiling 13 kills off 49 total attacks (.163), along with Lizzie Prieto’s team-leading 29 assists and Desiree Ortiz’s team-leading 18 digs. Goods also nailed 13 points for TAMIU.
They were the only three Dustdevils with double-digit totals in any statistical category other than total attacks.
TAMIU never trailed in its picture-perfect opening game, winning it wire-to-wire. But the second game was a mirror image as they never even tied a point. The third game saw two ties and one lead change before the fourth provided two ties and two lead changes before UTPB charged to the finish.
The Dustdevils must now turn their attention to the Heartland/Lone Star Conferences Crossover tournament, hosted by Lubbock Christian. The Dustdevils will play a trio of matches in two days, facing Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday at 1 p.m. and both Midwestern State (9 a.m.) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (1 p.m.) on Saturday.
TAMIU will open its home slate on Sept. 19 against Heartland rival St. Edward’s at the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building at 7 p.m.
