Tarleton State Volleyball battled until the end but came up just short, dropping the first match of the I-20 rivalry, 2-3, on Thursday at Wisdom Gym.
The Texans (5-13 overall, 0-5 WAC) won the first set 25-19, before dropping the next two, 19-25, 19-25. The Texans tied the match with a 25-20 fourth set before falling in the fifth set, 8-15. The Wildcats (8-8 overall, 3-2 WAC), notched their first road win of the year.
Emma Burke led the team with seven blocks, her second highest block total of the season. She has 19 total blocks in her last three matches. Mary Kate Stasevich tied her career-high, tallying five blocks on Thursday evening.
Allison Bryant posted a match-best 21 kills, notching her third outing of 20-plus kills this year. Bryant smashed her previous career-high of three aces, recording five against the Wildcats. Bryant also achieved her fourth double-double of the season (21 kills, 10 digs).
The Purple and White had three players record double-digit dig totals. Emma Halcomb led the team with 13, followed by Carly Lange's new season-high of 12 and Allison Bryant (10).
Tehana Mo'o tied her career-high of 11 kills, marking her second double-digit kill outing of the season on back-to-back Thursdays.
During the opening frame, the Texans and Wildcats were tied early, 8-8. Tarleton then proceeded to burst the set open with an 8-2 run that included two kills from Madison Frank. The Purple and White continued to dominate the first set, keeping their foot on the gas and eventually taking the set victory, 25-19. Burke notched four blocks during the first stanza, a single-set season high for her.
In the second frame, Tarleton found themselves with an early lead thanks to a 4-point run that contained three aces on four consecutive serves from Bryant. The junior went on to break her career-high in the second period, notching her fourth ace of the second set at the 18-14 mark. ACU finished with a strong 9-1 run, stealing the second set from the Texans, 25-19.
After heading into the third stanza tied at one all, the Wildcats opened with a 9-6 lead. Tarleton fought back to tie it up at 13-13, however, a 5-1 run from Abilene Christian helped the squad ultimately take the third set, 25-19.
The Texans rebounded in the fourth frame, taking a commanding 10-3 lead early in the fourth. Mo'o recorded five kills in the fourth stanza, helping clinch a 25-20 set victory for the Texans. The Purple and White forced the Wildcats to hit in the negatives for the first time, posting nine kills while hitting -.027. Tarleton posted four runs of 3-0 or greater, with their longest being a 5-0 run in the first eight points.
In the fifth and final set, the Texans opened with a 3-2 lead. ACU broke off on an 8-0 run to take control, 10-3. Tarleton was unable to recover, dropping the deciding set, 8-15.
Tarleton State Volleyball will continue their home slate against Utah Valley on Saturday with first serve set for 1 p.m. CT. Fans will receive free volleyball homecoming koozies as a part of Tarleton's homecoming giveaway. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
