FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Wesleyan University (2-4) participated in the Texas Two Step tournament, achieving a decisive 3-0 victory over Evangel University (4-2) before falling to Our Lady of the Lake University (3-7) in a straight-set loss.
In the match against Evangel, Texas Wesleyan took early control in the first set, responding quickly after the visitors opened the scoring. A kill from
Loes Peijnenburg and a service ace by
Lilia Ottenwalder helped the Rams gain a 6-3 lead. They maintained momentum with a key block by
Vanya Palmeros, pushing the score to 12-7. Midway through the set, the Rams continued to capitalize on Evangel's errors while adding points from
Migdaly Bernal and
Faith McClellan. Despite a brief rally from Evangel, Texas Wesleyan's consistent play, highlighted by a service ace from Peijnenburg, extended its lead. The set closed with the Rams' strong defense, including a block by
Haley Fojtik and Bernal, sealing the set at 25-18.
Texas Wesleyan capitalized on a strong start in the second set, quickly establishing a lead with a kill by
Jordan Daniell and a service ace from
Lillian Breaux. The team's effective blocking, highlighted by Peijnenburg and Daniell, helped extend the advantage as they held the opposition to minimal points. Midway through the set, the Rams maintained their lead through consistent attacking, with key contributions from Bernal and
Florencia Churin. Breaux's setting facilitated multiple scoring opportunities, resulting in a significant cushion over Evangel. Texas Wesleyan closed the set decisively with a series of successful plays, including a service ace by Bernal and an error-inducing block by Fojtik and Palmeros, concluding the second set with a 25-14 victory.
In the third set, Texas Wesleyan started strong with a decisive run, highlighted by a service ace from Breaux and a kill from McClellan, quickly establishing a 5-0 lead. The momentum was bolstered by a block from Peijnenburg and Palmeros, forcing Evangel to make key substitutions. The Rams maintained their advantage, with McClellan continuing to add points through kills, despite Evangel's attempts to close the gap. Evangel made a mid-set push, narrowing the score to 11-10, but the Rams responded with pivotal kills from McClellan and Breaux, extending their lead once more. As Evangel attempted to rally, errors proved costly, and Texas Wesleyan capitalized with a service ace from Bernal and a decisive block from
Malaya Young and McClellan to secure the set. The match closed with the Rams winning 25-22, maintaining their lead and momentum.
McClellan posted 12 kills on 22 attempts, hitting at a .409 percentage, while contributing three total blocks.
Neeley Rutledge led the defense with 15 digs and added six assists and two service aces. Breaux facilitated the offense with 18 assists, complemented by two service aces. Peijnenburg recorded a .500 hitting percentage with four kills on eight attempts and added four block assists. Texas Wesleyan concluded this match with a record of 2-3.
However, in their following match against Our Lady of the Lake, the Rams faced a straight-set loss. Texas Wesleyan opened the first set with a kill by Peijnenburg, setting the stage for a tightly contested set. The teams traded points early, with the Rams maintaining momentum through a series of blocks by
Malaya Young and
Faith McClellan, briefly tying the score at 3-3. A service ace by
Lillian Breaux and a series of kills from McClellan allowed Texas Wesleyan to edge ahead 15-13. Throughout the set, the Rams capitalized on several attack errors from the Saints, maintaining a narrow lead. However, the visitors mounted a late comeback, leveling the score at 22-22. Despite a strong effort by
Migdaly Bernal and McClellan in the final exchanges, Our Lady of the Lake secured the set 26-24 with a service ace as Texas Wesleyan narrowly fell short.
The second set began with Texas Wesleyan gaining an early advantage, marked by a block from Peijnenburg and McClellan and a kill by
Vanya Palmeros, establishing a 2-0 lead. The Rams maintained their momentum with consecutive blocks and another attack error forced by their defense, pushing the score to 4-1. However, the Saints responded, tying the score at 4-4 after capitalizing on a service ace and a kill. Midway through the set, both teams exchanged points, keeping the score close. Texas Wesleyan managed to regain a slight lead at 12-11, fueled by a kill from Bernal and a block by Peijnenburg and McClellan. Despite this, the set remained tightly contested, with the score knotting at 19-19 following a kill from Peijnenburg. In the closing stages, Our Lady of the Lake pulled ahead, taking advantage of several attack errors from the Rams to build a decisive lead. A service ace by Sophia Castillo and a final kill by Anais Velazquez Figueroa concluded the set at 25-20 in favor of the Saints.
In the third set, the Rams initially gained momentum with a series of plays led by Bernal, who contributed three consecutive kills, pushing the score to 6-2. The team's defense was highlighted by Peijnenburg and McClellan's block, securing another point. However, Our Lady of the Lake responded with a strong comeback, leveling the score at 10-10 after capitalizing on a series of errors by Texas Wesleyan. The visitors then continued to press, taking advantage of the Rams' mistakes to pull ahead. Despite efforts from Texas Wesleyan, including a service ace by
Kayla Myers, the Saints maintained their lead. They extended their advantage with consistent scoring and ultimately closed the set at 25-18 in favor of the visitors.
Peijnenburg made a significant impact with eight blocks and added a service ace. Bernal contributed offensively with 10 kills and defensively with eight digs. McClellan recorded five total blocks to bolster the team's defensive efforts. Myers facilitated the attack with 12 assists and also added a service ace. The Rams concluded the tournament with an overall record of 2-4.
The Rams face off against No. 7 McPherson College tomorrow at 10am, followed by a game against Texas A&M-Texarkana at 2pm.
