PLAINVIEW, TX - For the fourth time in the last five years, Texas Wesleyan Volleyball (9-6, 5-2 SAC) and Wayland Baptist (9-10, 4-3 SAC) played a five-set nailbiter and for the second-straight year, the Lady Rams came away victorious: 25-22, 20-25, 25-21, 17-25, 15-7.
TXWES dominated the fifth set down the stretch. Up 9-7,
Morgan Burns lobbed one up to
Chastiny Brown for a kill before
Brenda Pargas found
Sydney Charlton for another spike. Charlton earned a new season high with 16 kills. It tied the most kills by any Ram in 2019, mirroring
Veronika Webb's effort in a five-set loss to Kansas Wesleyan on August 23. Attack errors gave away three of the last four points, with Brown helping to put Wayland away with another kill.
Charlton wasn't the only player that had a banner evening. Brown and
Brittni Mohle each earned season highs in blocks, seven and three, respectively. Freshman
Tatemn Brown grew up with 19 crucial digs, breezing past her previous season high of 13. Brown was 29 digs in her last two games off the bench. She also had a season high three assists.
In the first set, the Lady Rams overcame a 17-15 deficit to take a 20-19 lead, capped off with a kill from Mohle.
Arianna Alvarado finished Wayland off at the net to give Texas Wesleyan a 1-0 advantage.
After a Set 2 loss, the Rams emphatically responded, jumping out to an 8-3 edge - Charlton and Brown had two kills in that stretch.
The Lady Rams hit .333 in the decisive fifth set - eight kills, two errors - the team's best hitting percentage since Texas Wesleyan hit .382 in the first set against Southwestern Christian a couple of games ago.
Alvarado chipped in 14 kills while Webb earned 12. Pargas led the passing attack with 28 assists and
Madison Lopez earned 29 digs to lead a defense that fell just one dig short of 100.
Texas Wesleyan visits Oklahoma Panhandle State Saturday at 1 p.m. In four meetings since OPSU joined the Sooner Athletic Conference, TXWES has won 12 of the 14 sets played. The Aggies are 3-4 in conference after dropping a four-set match to Southwestern Assemblies of God at home, Friday.
The Lady Rams put Wayland Baptist in the rear-view mirror for now and now sit one game behind second place, which is currently occupied by John Brown and Mid-America Christian, both of which are 6-1.
