TEXARKANA, Texas – The Louisiana Christian University volleyball team won the opening set but fell 3-1 (22-25, 25-10, 25-13, 25-17) to the Texas A&M Texarkana Eagles (15-8) Saturday morning at Patterson Student Center.
Louisiana Christian (5-17, 4-10 RRAC) delivered its most efficient offensive stretch in the first set, recording 14 kills and hitting .262.
Alanah Dugar's kill established a 19-16 lead over Texas A&M-Texarkana (16-8, 15-1 RRAC) before the Wildcats slipped behind 22-21. They answered with four consecutive points, with
Kourtlyn Smith providing kills to tie the score and reach set point before
Kylie Elmore closed the set with an ace.
Kills by
Mallory Wills and Dugar helped the Wildcats open the second set ahead 3-0, but the Wildcats surrendered the next five points. Trailing 13-8 later in the set, LCU gave up a nine-point run that put the set out of reach. LCU managed six kills and hit minus-.036 as the match became tied at one set apiece.
The Wildcats worked back from a 15-6 deficit in the third set. Consecutive kills by
Holly Rowe and Smith brought LCU within 16-11, cutting a nine-point gap to five. The recovery stalled when a seven-point run stretched the deficit from 17-12 to 24-12, leaving LCU down two sets to one.
LCU's blocking helped create another chance in the fourth.
Emma Cother and Wills combined for a block to complete a three-point run and give the Wildcats an 11-9 lead. The Wildcats regained the advantage at 13-12, then fell behind 18-14. A combined block by
Vivien Brouillette and
Joie Goodwin pulled the Wildcats within 19-17 before they conceded the final six points.
Dugar led LCU with 10 kills and added eight digs, while Smith finished with nine kills and Rowe had seven. Cother supplied 25 assists and nine digs, and
Yadneli Molina paced the back row with 16 digs. Wills totaled five blocks, including one solo stop. Elmore contributed two aces and seven digs, while
Shanoa Mitch added two aces and eight digs.
Louisiana Christian finished with 35 kills, 27 attack errors and a .058 hitting percentage, along with 54 digs, seven blocks and five aces.
The Wildcats head home for the final time this season, starting a four-match homestand on Tuesday as LSU Shreveport comes to Pineville. Opening serve of Tuesday's match against the Pilots (15-9, 9-3 RRAC) is set for 6 p.m. on Gene Rushing Court in H.O. West Fieldhouse.
