PLAINVIEW, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University (8-0) finished the Wayland Baptist Coca-Cola Classic with an exclamation point, taking a 3-1 (25-15, 19-25, 25-17, 25-17) win against the University of St. Thomas-Houston (1-6) before topping host (RV) Wayland Baptist University (4-3) in a 3-1 (25-22, 25-17, 21-25, 25-13) match on Saturday.
 
The Rams and Celts got the second day underway in the first match of the day. The first set was tied 5-5 before Carli Owens capped a 4-0 run to grab a 9-5 cushion early. An Alanna Hayhurst kill extended the lead to 13-7. Texas Wesleyan continued with a decent lead late in the set with a Shelby Stinnett smash for a 20-13 clip. Kiersten Mebane made it set-point before a Celt error gave the Lady Rams a 25-15 win.
 
Wesleyan quickly got out to a 3-0 lead before the Celts exploded with an 11-1 rally capped by an Alyzabeth Vincent kill to gain a 12-4 advantage. The Rams slowly fought back and a Chalon Anderson service ace cut the lead down to a three-point, 19-16 deficit. That would be as close as the Rams would get as the Celts took a 25-19 win.
 
With the match tied at 1-1, the Lady Rams jumped out to a 10-4 lead capped by a Shelby Stinnett kill. Texas Wesleyan kept it at full throttle with an 8-1 run that ended with a Sasha Robinson ace to give Wesleyan an 18-7 lead. Brianna Jaramillo came on strong late, taking the last two points with kills to take the third set, 25-17.
 
The fourth set was close to start, but Owens went back-to-back to cap a 7-1 rally for a 12-7 lead. The Celts cut the lead to three at 17-14, but a 6-1 run that ended with another Owens kill for a 23-16 advantage. Stinnett put a bow on the match with a set winning 25-17 smash, giving TXWES the 3-1 match.
 
Owens went 14 kills, hitting .478, adding six total blocks in a break out performance. Stinnett posted a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs. Robinson tallied 34 assists and 16 digs in a double-double performance. Hayhurst tacked on 12 kills and 13 digs. Anderson led the Rams with 19 digs. Jaramillo added nine kills in the win.
 
The Pioneers, who are just out of the top 25 and are receiving votes, proved to be the stiffest competition the Lady Rams have faced this season.
 
After Wayland Baptist posted a 13-6 lead in the first set, Wesleyan ran off a 5-1 run capped on a Mebane kill. The Rams would tie the set at 16-16 by way of a Sarah Benitez service ace. Stinnett kept the Lady Rams in the game with a steady pelting of kills as the junior hitter and Alex Wood from Wayland Baptist went point to point down the stretch. Mebane gave Wesleyan a slight lead on a kill before a sneak attack from Robinson made it 24-22, forcing a Pioneer timeout. WBU could not hook up on the ensuing attack, and that led way for a 25-22 game one win for the Lady Rams.
 
The second set found Wesleyan with a 6-2 start after another Mebane kill. The Rams sported a slight edge as Stinnett found the floor again to keep an 11-6 lead. Texas Wesleyan kept a fiver on the Pioneers until Wayland got in a little trouble with errors, letting the lead slide to 19-10 on a block by Jaramillo and Hayhurst. The Pioneers could not recover and really had no answer for the Wesleyan offensive attack, as Jaramillo put the set away with a crushing spike, 25-17.
 
As expected, the third set was very closely contested, with the Pioneers clinging to a slim two to three point lead for the early part of the set. Jaramillo tied the set at 14 apiece, but Wayland managed to hold on to a 20-18 lead late. WBU made it 23-19 before and Owens kill and Stinnett ace clipped the lead to 23-21. The Pioneers held on though, taking a 25-21 win to force a fourth set.
 
The two teams traded the lead to start the fourth set. Wesleyan kept attacking, getting a bit of a lift after a Mebane kill made it a 12-9 lead before a WBU timeout. The Lady Rams slowly built a breathable lead partly due to a pair of Jaramillo kills for a 17-12 advantage. The rally continued as the Lady Rams took control at full speed with a 9-0 rally highlighted by a pair of booming Hayhurst kills for a 23-12 lead. Jaramillo made it game point before a Pioneer error ended the match, 25-13 in favor of the Lady Rams.
 
Stinnett posted 15 kills and six aces, both season highs. Jaramillo tacked on 13 kills and five total blocks (three solo). Robinson added 45 assists, a season high for the sophomore setter. Anderson produced 23 digs in the win, a season best for the defensive specialist as well.
 
The Lady Rams will put their streak on the line in the LaQunita-Kansas Wesleyan Invitational in Salina, KS. Texas Wesleyan will play Tabor College on Saturday, September 3 at noon and Friends University at 4:30 pm in day one action.