LAREDO, Texas – Texas A&M International volleyball (6-8, 5-7 LSC) fell 3-0 (23-25, 19-25, 22-25) in the Lone Star Conference regular season finale to St. Edward's (5-6, 5-6 LSC) on Wednesday.
Despite the loss, the Dustdevils clinched a berth in the LSC Tournament, which begins on March 23. This will be TAMIU's first appearance in a conference tournament since 2012.
In the match, the Dustdevils were led by junior Mackenzie Catalina with a double-double of 12 kills and 12 assists. Junior Maison Kosse posted 23 assists with eight digs, a kill and a block. On the defensive end junior Regina Tijerina logged 16 digs with four assists. Junior Lorena Martin Perez contributed 15 digs with seven kills.
The opening set was incredibly close early with three ties. The Dustdevils began to break away with an 8-3 run to take a 12-7 lead. TAMIU was able to fend off the Hilltoppers attempts to take the lead for most of the set. However, a 5-2 run late in the frame gave SEU their first lead at 23-22. They managed to hold on to take the set 25-23.
The Dustdevils jumped out to a hot start in the second set as they took a 4-0 lead early. The Hilltoppers responded quickly with a 5-0 run to take the lead 5-4. They extended their lead out to 10-8, but TAMIU took the advantage back with a 5-1 run to go back up 13-11. SEU counterpunched with an 8-2 run retaking the lead 19-15. The Dustdevils managed to get back within one point at 19-18. Unfortunately, the Hilltoppers closed out the set on a 6-1 run to take the 25-19 decision.
SEU carried their momentum into the third set opening on a 5-0 run. The Dustdevils stood their ground and ripped off a 4-0 run of their own to cut the deficit to 5-4, and eventually taking the lead 8-7. However, a 6-2 run put the Hilltoppers back up 13-10. They strung together several short point runs to push their advantage to 24-18. TAMIU dug in their heels and tried to mount a comeback with four-straight points to pull within 24-22. Unfortunately they couldn't complete the comeback as SEU took the match with the 25-22 decision.
The Dustdevils will be back in action on Thursday, March 18 as they welcome Our Lady of the Lake for the regular season finale. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
