The Texas Wesleyan University volleyball team (28-5) dropped a pair of matches at the 42nd annual Women's Volleyball National Championship on Tuesday. The Lady Rams fell 3-0 to #1 Jamestown (33-0) and slipped in a 3-2 heartbreaker to #20 Indiana Wesleyan (24-5) at Tyson Events Center.
 
Texas Wesleyan hit .209, while Jamestown hit .262. In its previous match up with Jamestown (Sept. 3), the Jimmies to hit .370.
 
Today, the Jamestown was able to create 20 more attempts, which turned into 15 more points off the attack. TXWES was plagued by 10 reception errors, its most since Oct. 8 at Oklahoma City.
 
Veronika Webb posted a 6-0-13 attacking line to lead the team hitting .462. Nyia Anderson had nine kills and 10 digs in the effort. Foy managed eight kills and five block assists in the loss, while Arianna Alvarado tacked on six kills. Morgan Burns collected 31 assists. Andrea Malek posted 10 digs and Skylar Warde had 17. 
 
In the first set, the Lady Rams got down early after a few reception errors gave the Jimmies breathing room. Jamestown used that to stay in control for most of the set. The Rams closed the gap late, tying the set at 24 apiece after a 4-0 rally that featured a pair of Veronika Webb kills. The Jimmies responded and landed the next two points to take the set. 
 
In set two, the Jimmies started on a 5-1 rally with five kills from four different players. The Lady Rams kept the game within reach and cut the lead to 1-point at 15-16 on a Bailey Foy, Arianna Alvarado block. From there, the top ranked Jimmies went on a 4-0 run and outscored the Lady Rams 9-4 the rest of the way to take the second set. 
 
Another great start from Jamestown set the tone in the third set, collecting the first give points and jumping out to an 8-2 lead. Again, TXWES fought back and cut the lead to just three in the late goings with a 4-0 rally highlight by another Foy kill to make it 23-20. Jamestown got match point on a on an Anna Holen kill before TXWES responded on a Webb kill to make it 24-21. That started another 4-0 burst to tie the set at 24 apiece, but Jayla Ritter and Jimmies held match point, and an attacking ended the match. 
 
In the match with Indiana Wesleyan, the two teams produced very similar team comparison stats, making the +5 in aces in favor of the Wildcats stick out like a sore thumb. Despite the reception woes and apart from a few untimely mistakes, the Lady Rams had this match - it just slipped away. 
 
Anderson led with 20 kills and 17 digs, while Burns collected 56 assists and 15 digs. Alvarado and Foy finished with 13 kills. Charlton and Webb added nine kills. Webb also had three total blocks. Ruby O'Brien and Warde posted 26 digs.


TXWES won two straight sets after dropping the opening salvo to the Wildcats 25-20, marking the first time the team has lost more than three consecutive sets since Sept. 3. Set one was tied 13 times before the IWU found breathing room with a 4-0 rally to make it 21-18. Texas Wesleyan called a timeout, but the Wildcats ended the set with on 4-2 run to put the Lady Rams in an early hole. 
 
TXWES responded. The Lady Rams established 14-7 led in the second set started by a 10-3 run. Half of those 10 points came from Nyia Anderson on three kills and a pair of aces. That led to a well-managed 25-20 win that ended on a Sydney Charlton kill, her third of the set. 
 
Momentum in hand, the Lady Rams used an early 7-0 rally to leap to an 11-3 lead, spurred along by Bailey Foy and Arianna Alvarado kills. The Wildcats cut the lead slowly clawed back and tied the set at 20 apiece. It was a shootout from there, and the Lady Rams earned a block (Charlton, Webb) to make it 24-22. Another Anderson kill made it a 2-1 TXWES match lead with a 25-23 third set win. 
 
The fourth set was tight early before IWU went on a 6-2 run to gain a 17-8 lead on a Victoria Johnson kill. Attacking errors kept the Rams out of rhythm, and Indiana Wesleyan forced a fifth set. 
 
TXWES made a tremendous comeback early in the deciding set, coming back from down five to tie the set at 7-7. A Foy kill on the next point gave the Rams the lead, and another Foy kill late in the set made it 13-10. An Anderson spike made it match point at 14-12. However, the Wildcats just would not go away. Indiana Wesleyan picked up a kill by Mact Puthoff, which was followed by a pair of blocks, the latter a solo variety by Victoria Johnson. A Lady Ram error gave the persistent Wildcats the win. 
 
Texas Wesleyan Volleyball, the 2021 SAC regular season champions, have now made 14 national championship appearances all-time, including the last five seasons. In just four seasons, head coach Jessica Ransom is up to 96 wins. An abbreviated 2020 season notwithstanding, Ransom has led the team to at least 24 wins each season. The team went 18-5 in 2020. At 96-34, she holds a .738 winning percentage.