SHAWNEE, OK: The Texas Wesleyan University (12-1) was edged out in a 3-2 (25-19, 25-22, 21-25, 20-25, 12-15) match against Saint Gregory's University (7-6) in the conference opener on Tuesday.
 
The Lady Rams are currently receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll. This was the first time this season that an opponent forced a fifth set against the Lady Rams. The 12-0 start is also the best start this century for the Texas Wesleyan Volleyball program, and all 12 of those wins were either on the road or at neutral sites.
 
The Lady Rams started the match with a 3-1 lead but that was washed out by the Cavaliers, who grinded out an 8-6 edge. The game was close down the stretch until a 6-0 rally gave the Rams a 15-11 lead on a Shelby Stinnett service ace. The run continued and Chalon Anderson also downed another ace to make it 20-12. The Cavs tried to catch up, cutting the lead to 23-18, but a pair of kills from Stinnett lifted Wesleyan to a 25-19 win.
 
The Cavs got on top early in the second set, with a 6-2 run to start. Texas Wesleyan ran off an 11-1 rally in response to make it a 13-7 highlighted by a kill from Kristen Mebane. The Cavs galloped their way back into the set at 15-15. The Rams kept the edge though, squeezing out a 25-22 win on a Mebane kill.
 
In the third set, Texas Wesleyan busted out with a 10-2 advantage after a Morgan Reese ace. The Lady Rams kept that lead and held a 17-10 lead due in part by way of a Brittni Mohle kill. The Cavs knocked out a 7-0 rally to tie the game and was tightly contested from there. St. Gregory's outscored the Rams 6-2 to take the third set, 25-21.
 
The home crowd got behind the Cavaliers and kept them in the match. The fourth set was really close as the two teams were knotted up 12 times before the Cavs got some breathing room at 18-15. That was enough as the change in momentum forced a fifth set with a 25-20 SGU win.
 
The Cavs grabbed a 5-0 lead spurred by a raucous home crowd. A Cavalier service error put Wesleyan on the board before the Cavs kept finding holes the Ram defense to claim a 10-2 advantage. The Lady Rams were not going down easily as Alanna Hayhurst jumpstarted the offense with a timely kill. Stinnett posted a kill to make it a 13-8 deficit for Wesleyan, and smart defensive decisions cut the lead to a two-point, 13-11 game. The Cavaliers protected home court and were able to squeak out a 15-12 match win on an Ashlyn Broussard kill and a Lady Ram miscue.
 
The Lady Rams will get a chance to fire up the home cooking and avenge this loss with the Cavaliers visit The Sid on Saturday, October 29 starting at 2:00pm.
 
Sasha Robinson was a force, leading all players with 31 assists, adding 22 digs in the double-double night. Stinnett went 15 and 15 in kills and digs for the Lady Rams. Hayhurst tacked on 11 kills and 18 digs, while Anderson notched 27 digs. Mohle added 12 kills and seven digs in the effort.
 
The Lady Rams will finally come home for a match this Friday, September 9 when they take on Wayland Baptist University at 7:00 pm in the Sid Richardson Center.