AUSTIN, Texas — St. Edward's volleyball dominated Texas A&M International behind its Killer K's tandem of KELLI FORDING and KAYLEN LEMBCKE, combining for 31 kills with only three errors as the Hilltoppers rolled to a 25-8, 25-18, 25-16 sweep of the Dustdevils.
Lembcke delivered one of the most efficient attacking performances of the season, finishing with 17 kills and only one error on 22 swings for a staggering .727 hitting percentage. Fording complemented her with 14 kills on .414 hitting, giving setter ALTHEA MORRIS two nearly unstoppable options as St. Edward's finished with 46 kills and only nine errors to hit .389 for the match.
Lembcke set the tone immediately with consecutive kills to open the match, accounting for three of the Hilltoppers' first four points around a Morris service ace.
From there, St. Edward's overwhelmed the Dustdevils, serving them out of system, absorbing their best attacks, and returning them with a balanced front row that played nearly flawlessly. The Hilltoppers put down 15 kills on 28 attacks with only one error in the opening set, hitting .500 while siding out on all eight TAMIU serves.
Lembcke led the assault with seven kills on nine swings without an error, while Fording added four kills and MIA CLAY put down three on six attempts without an error. Meanwhile, the Hilltopper defense held TAMIU to six kills against six errors for a .000 hitting percentage.
The Dustdevils offered their strongest resistance early in the second, taking advantage of consecutive Hilltopper attack errors to build a 7-4 lead. St. Edward's answered with the same formula that powered the opening set.
Fording terminated from the left side to spark the response, and Morris took over from the service line. The junior setter helped turn an 8-7 deficit into a 13-8 advantage with an ace while mixing Fording and CARRINGTON JAIMES into the attack.
TAMIU's Jaylah Lumar found some success with three kills on four swings in the set, taking advantage of a few free balls, but GISELLE OJEDA anchored a Hilltopper defense that kept the Dustdevils from sustaining a run. Ojeda collected six digs in the frame, teaming with BEA ANGELES, BRENNA HEFFRON, and the rest of the back row to give Morris clean first touches to spin into scoring opportunities.
Fording shouldered the bulk of the workload with six kills on 12 attacks without an error, while Lembcke added three kills on five swings. St. Edward's hit .355 in the set and pulled away for the 25-18 win.
The third resembled the first.
Lembcke opened it with another kill, Morris followed with an ace, and St. Edward's never trailed. The Hilltoppers stretched the advantage to 9-3 behind four early Lembcke kills, with Morris keeping the block honest with a pair of dump sets for kills.
Lembcke continued to torch the Dustdevils with seven kills on eight attacks and a single error for a .750 closing set. Fording added four kills, GRACE MCDONALD put down two on four swings, and Morris distributed 13 assists as St. Edward's closed the match with 17 kills on .333 hitting.
Lembcke finished with a match-high 17 kills on .727 hitting, while Fording added 14 on .414. Clay and McDonald combined for nine more kills, and Morris directed the attack with 37 assists while adding two kills and three service aces. Ojeda patrolled the back row with 18 digs as the Hilltoppers held a commanding .389-to-.098 advantage in hitting percentage.
The performance continued a dramatic trend with Morris running the offense. St. Edward's has won the last nine sets she has played, sweeping Midwestern State, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M International, with losses to Lubbock Christian and UT Tyler coming in her absence.
Her return has also helped unlock Lembcke as another featured weapon alongside Fording. This week, Fording ranked fifth in the LSC at 3.78 kills per set and Lembcke eighth at 3.56 while ranking fifth in hitting percentage at .403. Morris led the conference with 13.17 assists per set. )
The Hilltoppers have been just as disruptive before opponents can establish their offense. St. Edward's led the LSC with 3.11 service aces per set during the week, with Morris and Fording ranking first and second individually and Ojeda and Jaimes tied for seventh.
More importantly, St. Edward's finally broke its early-season pattern of splitting each week. The Hilltoppers finished the three-match stretch 2-1, improving to 9-8 overall and 4-3 in Lone Star Conference play.
