LAREDO, Texas – Texas A&M International University volleyball opened its home slate Tuesday evening with a four-set loss to MSU Moorhead inside the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building.
The Dustdevils (2-3) claimed a tightly contested opening set, 26-24, before the Dragons responded to take the next three sets, 25-18, 25-15 and 25-22.
TAMIU and MSU Moorhead traded momentum throughout the opening frame, which featured nine ties and five lead changes. The Dustdevils ultimately prevailed, 26-24, behind a .184 hitting percentage to take an early 1-0 advantage.
The Dragons answered in the second set, using an efficient offensive attack to even the match. MSU Moorhead hit .357 in the frame while holding TAMIU to .125 on its way to a 25-18 victory. The visitors continued their offensive rhythm in the third, hitting .385 and taking the set, 25-15, for a 2-1 match lead.
TAMIU looked to extend the match in a competitive fourth set that featured nine ties and five lead changes. The Dustdevils recorded 12 kills in the frame, but MSU Moorhead held off the late push to secure a 25-22 win and close out the match.
Mia Molina paced the Dustdevil offense with a match-high 16 kills, adding seven digs and an ace for 17 points. Jaylah Lumar contributed seven kills while hitting .235, while Andrea Nunez and Ece Ozdemir each finished with six kills.
Setter Giulia Gainelli directed the offense with 31 assists while adding four service aces and eight digs. Sierra Sanchez led TAMIU defensively with 11 digs and chipped in two aces, while Brianna Espinoza collected eight digs and an ace.
At the service line, TAMIU finished with 11 aces, led by Gainelli's four, with Mia Perez and Sanchez recording two apiece. The Dustdevils totaled 44 kills, 38 assists and 48 digs.
MSU Moorhead improved to 3-2 after hitting .296 for the match, led by Brielle Riess' 15 kills. TAMIU moved to 2-3 on the season.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT:
Mia Molina led the way offensively for the Dustdevils, recording a match-high 16 kills while adding seven digs and a service ace. Molina finished with a team-best 17 points and hit .216 across four sets, providing TAMIU with its most consistent offensive threat against MSU Moorhead.
Molina is a senior outside hitter for Texas A&M International University and is currently pursuing a degree in Kinesiology. A native of Laredo, TX, Mia is the daughter of Rolando and Maricela Molina and was born on April 12, 2005.
