FORT WORTH, Texas – The Texas Wesleyan University volleyball team (7-5, 3-1 SAC) topped defending SAC regular season champion Southwestern Assemblies of God University (8-4, 2-2 SAC) in straight sets (25-20, 25-16, 25-17) at the Sid Richardson Center on Tuesday.
The Lady Rams overwhelmed the Lions, forcing 37 SAGU errors. TXWES never let off the gas in a powerful statement win. SAGU, who was picked as the preseason favorite to win the SAC in 2019, felt the pressure as the hitting percentage slid downhill in each set as the match went on. The Lions hit just .140 in set one and ended at -.073 in the third.
It was a back-and-forth affair for most of the first set, as both teams spread the attack. The score was tied eight times before three consecutive hitting error by the Lions led to
Chastiny Brown kill to give the Rams some breathing room at 19-17.
Arianna Alvarado made her presence felt with three brutal swats, the last one a set winner.
The Lady Rams launched haymakers in the second set, and a 7-0 rally capped by a
Morgan Burns service ace vaulted Texas Wesleyan to a 16-13 advantage, flipping at 13-9 deficit. The Lions could never recover and the Rams posted an 8-0 run to win it, highlighted by a pair of
Chastiny Brown kills.
Texas Wesleyan found the third set down 5-1 as the Lions tried to stave off a loss. SAGU led by four at 12-8 before the Rams roared back. An 11-1 run in favor of the home team forced SAGU to burn both timeouts, and when the dust settled, Texas Wesleyan had a 21-14 lead.
Veronika Webb connected on two more kills, including the dagger to win the match.
The Lady Rams hit .207 as a team, but Webb (.467),
Brianna Sitton (.429), and Brown (.316) each had efficient nights at the net.
Sitton came alive with seven kills and 13 digs. Brown, Alvarado and Webb each had eight kills.
Brenda Pargas (18 assists) and
Morgan Burns (17 assists) were stalwarts in distributing the attack effectively.
Madison Lopez was a perfect 30 for 30 receiving serves. She added 11 digs in the win.
The team stays home to face conference opponent Southwestern Christian on Friday, September 20. The match is set for a 7:00 p.m. start in the Sid Richardson Center.
