- Box Score

STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton volleyball team let the first victory over the Lady Buffs in the history of the program slip through their fingers Thursday night in a thunderously loud Wisdom Gym South. In a rollercoaster match with West Texas A&M, the TexAnns fell 3-2.

WTAMU took game one 25-20, before Tarleton responded with a 26-24 win in the second set. The rest of the match was back-and-forth with the Lady Buffs taking game three 25-21. The TexAnns won the fourth set 25-17, sending the match into a tie-breaking fifth set.  In the 30 year history of the two teams meeting, it marked the first time that the TexAnns won two games and forced a fifth game.

 In the decisive fifth game, Tarleton roared back from a 14-7 deficit, before eventually dropping the set 21-19. The crowd-fueled comeback threatened WTAMU's 77-match Lone Star Conference win-streak, but the Lady Buffs scraped out a victory.

The TexAnns (20-8, 6-5 LSC) suffered the heart-breaking defeat despite outhitting WTAMU .218 to .214. Tarleton also managed to record 13 blocks as a team.

Flynn Harrell led the offense with 18 kills, while hitting a .424 attack percentage. Rachel Wolf and Irelis Ilarraza both added 14 kills for the TexAnns. Danielle Barker provided 30 assists, with Jessie Hartman contributing 25 more.

The defense was anchored by Shea McBrearty, who collected 28 digs, and Monica Hamel, who contributed three solo blocks and three assisted blocks.

The Lady Buffs' Lauren Thedford led the team with 16 kills and 18 digs. Stormi Lancaster added 13 kills, while Erika Dupree recorded 49 assists.

Tarleton hosts Eastern New Mexico Saturday at 2 p.m. for the TexAnn's final home game of the season. It will be Senior Day for the TexAnns, as well as Trick or Treat Day at Wisdom Gym.