AUSTIN, Texas – The Heartland Conference hardwood action continued for Texas A&M International on Wednesday as the Dustdevils faced their first road game of the young year. Against St. Edward's at the Recreation and Convocation Center in Austin, the Dustdevils fell, 3-0 (25-4, 25-18, 25-10).
TAMIU (0-3, 0-3 Heartland) opened the season last week with a thrilling five-setter against the University of Texas of the Permian Basin and a close three set game against Lubbock Christian. Both saw TAMIU serve as host.
"Since our last match (on Sept. 6), we have been dealing with different injuries and illnesses," TAMIU coach Marlon Sano said. "The effect has been a disruption in our regular training routine and forced us to experiment with four different lineups in order to be prepared for any contingency.
"We didn't perform at the level we needed to (against) St. Edward's (on Wednesday) and they did a good job of exploiting that. We are resolute in performing better in the future."
Wednesday's game stood as the Dustdevils' first road game of seven consecutive, opening a challenging stretch of both travel and competition.
Against the Hilltoppers (4-0, 1-0 Heartland), TAMIU was led by senior Alex Ciszek's nine kills and .333 hitting percentage. Right behind Ciszek, newcomers Miaje Hubbard claimed six kills and Tasmin Apple nailed four. Laredo native Samantha Gonzalez contributed three kills while both Caitlinn Williams and Lizzie Prieto finished with one apiece.
Prieto, returning from an injury that sidelined her against LCU, served as the Dustdevils' transition from defense to attack with 21 assists. As a team, TAMIU had 24 assists. Prieto also struck an ace and made four digs.
Senior and San Antonio native Sophia Quinones dug twice as many balls as the Dustdevils' next closest, defending 15 Hilltopper attacks. Ciszek made seven digs and freshman Alejandra Bustamante had three.
The Dustdevils continue their road trip with four games at the East Central/Southeast Oklahoma Tournament on Sept. 12-13 Ada, Okla.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Adam Geigerman,
Sports Information Director and Promotions Specialist
956-326-3007
AdamS.Geigerman@TAMIU.edu
www.GoDustdevils.com
