AUSTIN, Texas—The St. Edward's volleyball team added another game to its win column, defeating Texas A&M-Kingsville, 3-2, Saturday afternoon at the Recreation and Convocation Center.
The non-conference victory brings the Hilltoppers' overall record to 12-2.
AMY JONES registered a season-best 12 kills and
MARY KOEHLER tallied her fourth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 23 digs.
TABITHA ELDER and
JACLYN BILLIE both earned two aces.
KELLY JIMENEZ saw a match-high 30 digs while
LOREN KELLY logged 28 assists.
The first set foreshadowed the intensity of the match as the two teams went point-for-point. Locked at 23-23, a Texas A&M-Kingsville kill and a St. Edward's error would give the Javelinas a 1-0 edge.
Feeling some urgency, St. Edward's came out strong in the second set outscoring the visitors 15-9. However, six errors by the Hilltoppers down the final stretch would put the Javelinas back into winning contention, 24-23. The home team managed to hang on, ending the set on a kill by Jones.
St. Edward's won back-to-back sets, taking set three 25-17. Texas A&M-Kingsville refused to go quietly though. The Javelinas dominated the fourth set recording its match-best hitting percentage, .333, and holding St. Edward's to a .073 hitting percentage. The set ended on a kill by Texas A&M-Kingsville, drawing the match score 2-2 even.
Just as the first two sets, the tiebreaker set made for an intense contest. The Hilltoppers led early on by a small margin. Two consecutive Texas A&M-Kingsville kills forced St. Edward's to call a timeout. When play resumed, Coach Donahue and his team successfully finished out the set, 15-11, on two kills by Koehler.
The Hilltoppers resume conference play as they travel to take on St. Mary's Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. in San Antonio, Texas. It will be the second meeting between the two teams this season. The Battle of the Saints record stands at 1-0, in favor of St. Edward's. Live coverage and statistics will be available on the Rattler Athletic Website.
