DENVER, Colo. – Tarleton improved to 5-0 on the season with its third win over a national top-25 opponent by knocking off No. 16 Central Missouri to open the Colorado Premier Challenge Friday afternoon.
The TexAnns followed up with a five-set loss to tournament co-host, Regis, for their first loss of the young season.
Game 1: No. 17 Tarleton 3, No. 16 Central Missouri 1
Tarleton pushed its set winning streak to 14 in a row to open the season by winning the first two sets against the Jennies and then taking the four-set win with a dominant 25-15 win in the fourth game.
The opening 18 points went back-and-forth as the match opened in a 9-9 tie before back-to-back kills from
Hannah McManus and
Hailey Roberts forced Central Missouri to take a timeout and ultimately start a 10-5 Tarleton surge. The Jennies cut the Tarleton lead to one on two different occasions, but a kill and a service from
Hailey Roberts put Tarleton at game point before McManus and
Alexis Applewhite combined for a block to seal the opening set 25-22.
In the second set, Tarleton kept the Jennies from putting together any kind of run as the TexAnns jumped out to a 21-13 lead over the first 34 points while not allowing Central Missouri to string together more than two consecutive points on just three occasions heading into their second timeout of the set. Out of the break, the Jennies pulled within five at 23-18 but Tarleton ended it with a point on a UCM error and a set-winning kill from Roberts.
Tarleton dropped its first set of the season in game three to Central Missouri 25-22, but the TexAnns came back with a vengeance in set four.
The TexAnns scored 12 of the first 20 points in the fourth and final set to lead 12-8 before a UCM error started the match-clinching 13-7 Tarleton run. Over the TexAnns' final run, they allowed Central Missouri to score back-to-back points only once before a combined block from
Amber Strange and
Adriana Darthuy put a cap on the match.
All-Americans
Hailey Roberts and
Jordyn Keamo boasted double-double performances for Tarleton. Roberts landed a season-high 20 kills to go along with 15 digs while Keamo dished out 51 assists with 10 digs. Darthuy put down 15 kills while
Adrianna Knutson tied Roberts with a team-high 15 digs. Strange recorded a season-high seven blocks.
Game 2: Regis 3, No. 17 Tarleton 2
Despite a valiant effort after falling behind 2-1 in the match, Tarleton suffered its first loss of the year in a five-set heartbreaker to tournament co-host Regis.
Tarleton kept the momentum rolling in the opening set by taking the first game 25-21. The TexAnns built a quick 10-9 lead before a Roberts kill started an 8-1 Tarleton run to extend the lead to 18-10. The Rangers pulled within two as late as 20-18, but Tarleton scored five of the set's final eight points, including a game-winner by Darthuy, to claim the opening set.
After Regis won the next two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-21, Tarleton came out swinging in the fourth set with five of the first six points to build a quick 5-1 lead. Regis battled back to take a 14-13 lead, but
Chandler Gow tied things up with a kill shot at 14-14 to start a 7-1 Tarleton run.
Regis took a timeout with Tarleton leading 22-15 and the TexAnns came out of the break and got kills from Applewhite and Roberts and a game-winning block from
Blanca Izquierdo and Applewhite to force a decisive fifth set.
The teams battled for an advantage in the fifth set and Tarleton took a 9-8 lead off a block from Strange and Applewhite, but Regis answered back with three unanswered points to lead 11-9 and force Tarleton into a timeout. Out of the break, Tarleton pulled within one on two occasions but couldn't bring it back to even against as Regis went on to a 15-13 win.
Darthuy put down a season-high 21 kills while Roberts landed 15 kills and had 19 digs for another double-double. Keamo also had another double-double performance with 35 assists and 10 digs while Knutson (20) and Izquierdo (10) also cracked double digits in digs.
Tarleton will await the rest of tonight's games to determine its fate in bracket play of the Colorado Premier Challenge tomorrow. Stay tuned to TarletonSports.com or follow @TarletonSports on twitter for updates.
