ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Texans had a tough start against the hosts of the Tommie Invitational on Thursday night, as Tarleton State lost 3-0 to St. Thomas.
 
The Texans (0-4) fell 17-25, 15-25 and 18-25 against the Tommies (1-3) at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota. It's the first of three matches across the weekend for Tarleton STate, as the Texans will also face Northern Illinois Friday at 3:30 p.m. CT and Valparaiso on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.
 
Allison Bryant led the Texans with eight kills and 8.5 points. LaNeah Lara added five kills and 5.5 points. Megan Hodges and Yuna Ansquer each had 13 assists, while Emma Halcomb recorded 11 digs.
 
The Texans took the first two points of the match, and then it was a back-and-forth opener until the Tommies led 8-6. St. Thomas used a 4-0 spurt to jump ahead by six, then built an 18-11 lead. Down 23-13, the Texans tried to stay in it with three straight points but ultimately fell 25-17.
 
In Set 2, Tarleton State led 4-3 early, but the Tommies caught fire and raced out to an 8-0 run to jump ahead 11-4. The Texans got as close as five back the remainder of the set before losing by 10.
 
The Tommies got the fast start in Set 3, leading 6-1. St. Thomas held control the remainder of the match to notch their first victory of the season.
 
St. Thomas outhit Tarleton State .295 to .121, with 47 kills and 11 errors compared to Tarleton's 32 kills and 18 errors. The Tommies also logged 46 assists to Tarleton's 30.
 
The Texans will look to snap their start-of-season skid on Friday against Northern Illinois at 3:30 p.m. CT. There is no live stream for the match, but fans can keep up with the action with live stats here.