SAN ANTONIO – The Tarleton women's volleyball team competed in the St. Mary's Invitational this past weekend in San Antonio and walked away with three wins in four games. TexAnn newcomer Nikki McNorton earned all-tournament team honors for her efforts as well.
The TexAnns got the weekend started off against Pace and had little trouble defeating the Setters. Tarleton took the first game 25-17 before narrowly losing the second set 25-23. That sparked the TexAnns who went on to close out the match with sets of 25-17 and 25-14.
Flynn Harrell and McNorton both had 12 kills apiece to lead the attack, while Jessie Hartman and Danielle Barker had 28 and 22 assists respectively. Tarleton had four separate players with double-digit digs.
Defensively, the TexAnns compiled 17 blocks compared to Pace's four blocks.
Game 2 – Tarleton 3, Illinois-Springfield 1` (Box Score)
The second game of the evening on Friday was more of the same from Tarleton. The TexAnns toppled Illinois-Springfield three games to one.
The PrairieStars were able to win the first game of the match 25-23, but that is all the damage UIS would get against Tarleton. The TexAnns won the next three sets with ease (25-15, 25-21, 25-13).
For the second straight game the block totals favored the newly remodeled front line of Tarleton. The TexAnns recorded 15 total blocks while the PrairieStars had just two.
Breawn Waynes had seven blocks by herself, while McNorton added six more.
Offensively, Harrell led the TexAnns again with 15 kills on 28 attempts. McNorton contributed 10 kills of her own. Hartman was the main distributor with 31 assists.
The first game on Saturday was not an easy one for the TexAnns as they just escaped with a 3-2 victory over the Lady Tigers.
Tarleton and ECU traded off games until the fifth and final set when the TexAnns sealed their fate with a 15-10 win.
It was once again the McNorton and Harrell show, who recorded 16 and 15 kills respectively. Harrell also added 19 digs while McNorton added 10 blocks (eight assisted, two solo).
Hartman had 33 assists and Barker had 20 assists to help out.
The TexAnns entered the final contest of the weekend looking for a tournament sweep and could do so with a win over hosts St. Mary's. Unfortunately for Tarleton, it was not meant to be as the Lady Rattlers picked up a close 3-2 win over the TexAnns.
Tarleton was able to win the first set of the match 25-18 before dropping the next two to St. Mary's. The TexAnns attempted to storm back from being down two games to one, and managed to tie the match at two games apiece, forcing a fifth set. St. Mary's would get the upper hand in the end with a 15-11 victory.
Harrell had 16 kills to lead the way with McNorton contributing 15 more. Hartman had 25 assists, while Barker picked up 20 assists and 18 digs.
The TexAnns still managed to out-block St. Mary's 14 to nine.
Tarleton (3-1) will return home before heading back out on the road Thursday to play at Angelo State. The TexAnns will remain in San Angelo through the weekend to compete in the Angelo State Invitational.
For more information regarding the 2011 Tarleton volleyball team, check out TarletonSports.com.
