ABILENE, Texas – Tarleton State Volleyball takes their match, 3-2, against ACU to close out the first half of conference play.
Emma Burke led the Texans with 14 kills while hitting .500, a season-high for the senior. She also totaled 9 blocks. Breannah Peterson followed with 12 kills. Madison Frank totaled 9 kills to help round out the Texan attack.
Teya Nguyen distributed the ball well with 32 assists, a season-high for the redshirt sophomore. Megan Hodges followed with 16 assists. Morgan Carter 16 digs to lead the Texan defense.
The Texans opened frame one strong behind kills from Taylynn Biggs and Lara. The Texans looked to find their rhythm as they traded point for point. Peterson, Rice-Locket, and Frank contributed timely kills but costly errors slowed down the Texans attack. The Wildcats went on a six-point scoring run, the Texans answered with a three-point run of their own fueled by an ace from Leddy Rae Guinn and a kill from Peterson but fell short to conclude the first set 19-25.
The Texans came out of the gate strong in the second set with a six-point run served by Guinn. Kills by Burke and Rice-Locket fueled the run as well as a block by Peterson and Burke. Rice-Locket totaled another kill and a service ace to help widen the margin for the Texans. Frank and Lara jumped in and contributed kills to help the Texans go up 13 –5. Burke and Peterson continued to steady the Texans attack while Burke and Biggs contributed blocks at the net to continue to allow the Texans to separate. Burke and Peterson continued to lead the set pairing up for a block and Peterson finishing off the set with a kill to end the set 25-20 and make the match 1-1.
The Texans started set three strong with early kills from Burke and Peterson but struggled to maintain their rhythm as the set progressed. Frank delivered several key kills late to keep the Texans in contention, while Peterson added back-to-back points in an effort to spark a rally. Despite their push, the Texans ultimately fell 25-14 to ACU's steady attack.
Tarleton State came out fighting in the fourth set, with Lara putting down an early kill from Teya Nguyen to get the Texans on the board. Breannah Peterson followed with a solo block to give Tarleton their first lead of the set. Rice-Locket added a kill soon after to extend the advantage. Momentum stayed with the Texans as Burke capitalized on an ACU attack error, then fired off a service ace to push Tarleton State ahead 6–4. Hodges entered the match and made an instant impact, delivering an ace to keep the Texans rolling.
Tarleton State's offense continued to click as Frank and Rice-Locket each found open space with strong swings off assists from Nguyen and Hodges. Peterson followed up with a kill through the block from Carter's assist to keep Tarleton State within striking distance. The Texans tightened up defensively out of a timeout as Burke and Peterson combined for a block assist, forcing another ACU attack error. Frank added another kill off a smooth feed from Hodges, keeping the set close. Nguyen continued to spread the ball well, connecting with Peterson and Burke for back-to-back kills to bring the Texans within one. Late in the frame, Rice-Locket powered one down the line for a kill to bring up set point at 24–18. Nguyen and Burke kept the attack steady as the Texans held off an ACU rally. On the final rally, Burke sealed it with a kill from the right pin off another assist from Nguyen, securing the set for Tarleton State, 25–23.
Tarleton State wasted no time setting the tone in the decisive fifth set. Burke opened the scoring for the Texans with a kill off a quick set from Nguyen. Burke stayed hot, delivering back-to-back kills with assists from Nguyen to give Tarleton State an early 3–1 edge. Peterson kept the offense rolling, powering a kill through the ACU block before Rice-Locket came up huge at the net with a solo block to push the Texans ahead 7–3 and force an ACU timeout. After the break, Frank connected with Hodges for a sharp cross-court kill to steady the Texans' momentum. Moments later, Lara added a kill off a clean assist from Carter, keeping Tarleton State in control at 9–5. The Texans' front line took over midway through the set, with Burke and Peterson teaming up for a block assist that sent ACU to another timeout. Nguyen continued to distribute efficiently, setting up Burke once again for another kill that gave Tarleton State a 13–9 lead. Down the stretch, Burke delivered under pressure with her fifth kill of the set from Nguyen to reach match point at 14–10. After ACU trimmed the deficit, Tarleton State's defense sealed the victory as ACU's attack sailed wide, securing the 15–11 set win and clinching the match for the Texans.
The Texans will return to Wisdom Gym on Saturday to take on California Baptist at 1:00 PM for the Volloween game.
