Box Score STEPHENVILLE – After games two and three were decided by extra points, Tarleton State dropped a five-set heartbreaker to Texas Woman's Friday night in Wisdom Gym.
 
With this loss, Tarleton falls to a game and a half behind the Pioneers in the Lone Star Conference standings. The TexAnns remain in third place while the Pioneers hold on to the second spot.
 
In the first set, Tarleton got off to a strong start and built on their early efforts by taking as much as a 19-13 lead. The Pioneers clawed back with a 10-3 run to lead 23-22 before Kaitlyn White knotted the score at 23-23 and a block by White and Katie Covell and a TWU error sealed the opening set for Tarleton.
 
The TexAnns carried their momentum into the second set to build a 14-8 lead early, but the Pioneers climbed back into the set with a 14-8 run of their own to knot the score at 22-22. Tarleton maintained the advantage through 26-25 before an error and back-to-back ball handling errors gave the set to the Pioneers.
 
Tarleton rebounded in a hard-fought third set.
 
The score had nine lead changes and 13 ties in a game that need eight extra points to determine a winner. With the score tied at 25-25, Katie Covell landed a kill that gave Tarleton the advantage, which they kept until back-to-back kills by Covell and Green ended the games.
 
Tarleton couldn't continue the momentum into game four as TWU jumped out to a 6-0 lead before eventually claiming the set and evening the match with a 25-16 win. The Pioneers built and early lead in game five and never surrendered it en route to the win.
 
Green led the team with 17 kills while Stacie Murrah (15) and Covell (13) each cracked double figures. As a team, Tarleton hit just .157 compared to TWU's .241 for the match.
 
Danielle Barker led the team with 55 assists while Emily Klein (18), Lacy Hodges (11) and Katie Covell (11) were the TexAnns' dig leaders.
 
Tarleton will be back in action Saturday when they host Texas A&M-Commerce at 2 p.m.
 
QUICK HITS
- Lacy Hodges set a career high with three service aces Friday night. She had four all of last season and 10 in her career entering Friday night.
 
- Tarleton is now 17-30 all-time against Texas Woman's. This is Tarleton's first loss to the Pioneers since Oct. 11, 2011.