AUSTIN – A rematch of last year's Lone Star Conference volleyball championship match ended in similar fashion with the No. 18-ranked West Texas A&M defeating the St. Edward's Hilltoppers in three sets. 

West Texas A&M put the Hilltoppers on their heels early in the first set, getting big swings off the bench from Emma Becker, who put down five kills on six attacks to lead the Buffs to a 25-12 win. The Buffs hit .400 in the set while holding the Hilltoppers to eight kills on a -.029 hitting percentage. 

St. Edward's found its footing in the first half of the second set, going back and forth with West Texas A&M. The Hilltoppers opened with a balanced attack, getting four kills each from CAROLINE SWAN and LOURDES GOMEZ, and three from AUDREY QUESNEL. St. Edward's stayed within reach, pulling to within 15-14 on a block by ESTHER GRUSSING and AJANI HODGES. West Texas A&M responded with a 6-0 run, eventually taking the set 25-17. 

The Hilltoppers put themselves in an early hole, opening the third set with a service and ball handling error, followed by three attack errors to fall behind at 12-5. West Texas A&M never looked back, getting four kills each from Becker and Torrey Miller, hitting .406 in the set to win 25-16 and end the match. 

Swan led the Hilltoppers with 10 kills on a .152 clip. Quesnel added eight kills on a .267 hitting percentage, and Gomez had seven kills. SARAH KONOVODOFF led the team with 12 digs, and ESTHER GRUSSING had 27 assists. 

St. Edward's falls to 4-10 with a 1-2 conference record after the loss. The Hilltoppers will host Cameron University (5-10, 0-3) tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.