Box Score STEPHENVILLE – After dominating the first two sets, Tarleton State couldn't hold off a Midwestern State rally and fell in five sets to the Mustangs Friday night despite milestone moments from
Stacie Murrah in the third set and
Danielle Barker.
The TexAnns took control out of the gate.
After the teams stayed tight through 14-14, a Tarleton block by
Kaitlyn White and
Katie Covell put the TexAnns up 15-14 and started a 4-0 TexAnn run for an 18-14 lead and forcing a Midwestern State timeout.
Out of the break, Tarleton went up 24-19 and eventually claimed the opening set 25-20.
Tarleton opened the second set with a 12-9 lead before extending it to 18-9 with a 6-0 run served up by
Danielle Barker. Tarleton cruised down the stretch and ultimately won the second set 25-17.
Murrah's moment came in the third set as her sixth kill of the night came early to give Tarleton a 5-2 lead. That kill made Murrah the seventh player in school history with 1,000 career kills.
In the third set, Tarleton was on the brink of a sweep with a 20-10 lead before Midwestern struck for a 15-3 run to take the set and shift the momentum.
MSU took the momentum into the fourth set by taking a 16-12 lead over Tarleton. The TexAnns, however, answered with an 11-6 run to take a 23-21 lead late in the game.
Tarleton couldn't close it out as Midwestern State scored six of the next eight points to take the set in extra points and force a fifth game. MSU carried its momentum into the fifth game and went on to a 15-11 victory.
Murrah ended the night with 17 kills to lead the team, moving her one kill shy of tying Kathy Buckler (1,012) for sixth place on the all-time Tarleton kills list. She hit .314 for the night.
Katie Covell and
Danielle Barker each had a double-double on the night. Covell had 11 kills and 20 digs while Barker had a 47-assist, 15-dig effort.
Emily Klein (27) and
Lacy Hodges (13) also cracked double figures in digs.
Barker's 47 assists give her 3,001 for her career, making her the second TexAnn in school history with 3,000. She now trails her former teammate Jessie Hartman, by 265 assists for top spot in the school's all-time assist list.
As a team, Tarleton hit .282 and .212 in the first two games, respectively, before falling to .086, .085 and (-).034 in the final three losses.
Tarleton will look to rebound tomorrow afternoon with a 2 p.m. battle in Lawton, Oklahoma against Cameron.
QUICK HITS
- This loss, the first for Tarleton against MSU since Nov. 4, 2010, gives Midwestern State the advantage in the all-time series 26-25. The two teams are also now 6-6 all-time when the set goes to five sets.
- Tarleton has now played 19 sets over their last four matches, going to five sets in three of the last four.
