- Box Score

DENTON – Tarleton State (11-8, 5-2) fell to Texas Woman's (6-11, 4-4) 3-1 in its return to Lone Star Conference action Tuesday night.

The TexAnns dropped the first set 25-19 on after a 7-0 run gave TWU a healthy lead.

Tarleton split the first eight points of the match leading to a 4-4 tie, but a kill by Viktorija Jablonska started the early run.

A kill by Danielle Barker broke the streak and made the score 11-5, but TWU answered with four straight points to bring the TWU lead to 15-5.

Tarleton responded by scoring 14 of the next 24 points, but the early hole was too much to overcome.

In the second set, TWU built a slim 8-7 lead to open play before Katie Covell landed back-to-back kills to give the TexAnns a lead and began a 6-1 run for a 13-9 lead.

Texas Woman's clawed to within one point on three separate occasions but couldn't retake the lead as Tarleton went on to win 25-22.

The Lady Pioneers would not be denied, however, opening the third set with a 10-2 run, with the only Tarleton points coming on a TWU error and a Flynn Harrell kill.

Tarleton answered the early run with a 4-1 run to bring the score to 11-7. The Pioneers, however, went on to score 14 of the next 19 points to claim the set 25-12.

In the fourth set, Tarleton appeared ready to force a game five by opening with a 9-4 run on the strength of five TWU errors and kills by Nikki McNorton, Tiana Bond, Stacie Murrah and Covell.

Tarleton extended its lead to 11-8 before Texas Woman's struck for its biggest run of the night, a 13-1 run to claim a 22-12 lead. Breawn Waynes and Covell landed two more kills, but Texas Woman's claimed the 25-14 victory.

Covell landed eight kills in the losing effort with a team high .192 among players with more than five attempts. Murrah and Harrell each had seven kills.

Tarleton did have five players crack double figures in assists – Harrell (27), Covell (23), Jessie Hartman (22), Danielle Barker (17) and Emily Klein (17). Hartman also added two service aces and Klein led the team with 18 digs.

McNorton was held without a solo block for the first time since Sept. 10, but did manage six assisted blocks to lead the team.

Tarleton returns home for the first time in eight matches by hosting Texas A&M-Kingsville Thursday at 7 p.m. in Wisdom Gym.

For more information about TexAnn volleyball, visit TarletonSports.com.