STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Volleyball opened the Texan Classic with 3-0 sweep against University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff in Wisdom Gym on Thursday night.
LaNeah Lara led the Texans with 16 kills, a new career-high for the junior. Madison Frank followed behind with nine kills and Madison Rice-Lockett recorded eight.
Megan Hodges set up the Texan offense well with 22 assists. She also recorded seven digs and three service aces. Teya Nguyen also totaled 16 assists and six digs. Morgan Carter posted 15 digs to lead the Texans on the back row.
Tarleton State opened strong behind Hodges' serve, going up 4–0 with kills from Frank and Alyssa Dinh, plus an ace from Hodges. After UAPB got on the board, Rice-Locket and Lara powered down back-to-back kills to keep the Texans rolling. UAPB called an early timeout trailing 8–2, but the Texans extended the lead to 11–2 after blocks from Emma Burke and Frank, followed by another Lara kill. Mid-set, Tarleton State mixed in fresh faces like Nguyen and Breannah Peterson. Nguyen made an immediate impact with a service ace, while Lara stayed hot at the net. UAPB found a brief run, cutting the gap to 14–9, but service errors and more Texan blocks halted their momentum. Hodges delivered her second ace of the set, and Frank added another kill to push the score to 18–10. Tarleton State's balanced attack continued, capped by a service ace from Rice-Locket and multiple kills from Lara. At set point, Nguyen set up Lara for her fifth kill, and Burke sealed the frame with an explosive swing to give the Texans the set, 25–14.
Tarleton State opened the second set strong with kills from Dinh and Lara, plus back-to-back UAPB errors to jump ahead 4–0. After a service error gave the Lions their first point, Frank answered with a kill to push the Texans forward 5–1. UAPB tried to respond behind a service ace, but Tarleton State's attack kept control. Burke and Peterson added key swings at the net, while Rice-Locket finished a Hodges set to make it 11–7. Lara continued her dominant play with multiple kills to keep momentum on Tarleton State's side. Tarleton State continued to stretch the lead behind Nguyen's setting, connecting with Burke and Lara while adding a kill of her own. A block from Dinh and Rice-Locket and another Lara swing pushed the advantage to 20–14. The Lions made a late push with consecutive aces, forcing a Tarleton State timeout at 20–16. But the Texans regrouped, closing the set with authority. Lara tallied two more kills, combined with Nguyen for a block, and then sealed the frame with the final kill. Tarleton State claimed the second set, 25–17, taking a 2–0 lead in the match.
Arkansas–Pine Bluff jumped out to a 5–1 lead but Tarleton State answered quickly. Lara and Peterson combined with Nguyen's setting to spark a rally, pulling the Texans back even at 6–6. Burke and Lara each scored at the net keeping the frame tied at 12–12 after trying to find their rhythm in the set. Out of a UAPB timeout, Tarleton State surged ahead on a run fueled by Frank and Rice-Locket, with Hodges at the service line delivering a huge ace to make it 16–12. The Texans kept control as Frank hammered home multiple kills and Lara added another finish to stretch the margin to 20–13. Burke and Lara followed with more timely swings, and Rice-Locket kept the pressure on with another kill to move Tarleton State within striking distance. UAPB burned its final timeout at 22–14, but the Texans closed strong. Burke pushed the Texans to set point, and Victoria Fontenot sealed the frame with a service ace. Tarleton State secured the third set, 25–16 and completed the sweep over Arkansas–Pine Bluff.
The Texan led the Golden Lions in kills 46-24. The Texans also led aces (6-3), blocks (5-3), assists (41-23) and digs (47-35).
The Texans will return to Wisdom Gym for day two of the Texan Classic on Friday for "Friday Family Night" at 6 p.m.
