FORT WORTH, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University volleyball team (2-0) notched a pair of straight set wins in day one of the 2017 SAC/RRAC Conference Clash at the Sid Richardson Center on Friday. TXWES led off the day with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-19) win over St. Thomas-Houston (1-1) before dropping Jarvis Christian (0-2) 3-0 (25-5, 25-10, 25-11) in the night cap.
 
The Lady Rams began pre-season under new head coach Priscilla Morgan, and she expressed her excitement in the home opener today, "…great first day for our season. I saw a lot of good things I wanted to see from our starting and the new systems we have implemented."  
 
In the first match, the Lady Rams kept the Celts out of sorts and playing from behind, holding the visiting team to 082 hitting. Meanwhile, TXWES hit .333, as Dana Lohrke led the way with 11 kills in just 13 attempts, hitting .692. The Lady Rams cruised to a dominate 25-13 win in the second set after hitting a balmy .393 (15-4-28), and then raced to a 25-19 set three to take the match in straight sets. Robinson tacked on 31 assists on top of her nine kills and eight digs. All-American Shelby Stinnett posted 10 kills and 12 digs, with a pair of aces to boot.
   
 
In the match with Jarvis Christian, TXWES had their offensive production limited, due to 40 errors committed by the Bulldogs. Despite the mismatch, the Rams hit .308 and held their opponent to just five points in the first set at 25-5, the team's best defensive set in nearly four years (8/23/13 vs. Texas College). Texas Wesleyan allowed only 26 points over the three sets. Lohrke and Stinnett each had eight kills, while Hannah Altman had nine assists, seven digs, three kills, and two aces in an all-around effort. The Lady Rams had 14 different players see action in the win.
 
The Rams looked the most ready to start the season on the conditioning front, and Morgan says that is important, "Conditioning plays a huge part in being ready to play at a high level, and Coach Robert Brown helps us to reach our goals. Being able to recover quickly and maintain a high level of energy is directly related to our fitness."
 
Morgan also talked about her first win as head coach of the Lady Rams, "It feels awesome…to keep our opponent to only five points was just a cherry on top. The team has bought in and has had great team chemistry. I'm looking forward to learning and growing together this season."
 
The Lady Rams will continue in day two of the Conference Clash tomorrow, with matches against University of the Southwest at 11:00 a.m. and Wiley College at 4:00 p.m. at the Sid Richardson Center.