STEPHENVILLE, Texas - Tarleton State Volleyball finishes day two of the Texan Classic with a sweep 3-0
(25-30, 25-16, 25-19) against LA Tech.
Madison Frank paced the Texans' attack with a team-high 12 kills while posting an impressive .524 hitting percentage. Emma Burke was nearly unstoppable at the net, finishing with 11 kills on a scorching .846 hitting percentage. LaNeah Lara and Alyssa Dinh added balance to the offense, each contributing 8 kills for the Texans.
Morgan Carter led the Texan defense with 17 digs. Megan Hodges set the Texan offense up well with 22 assists.
Tarleton State opened the set on fire, racing to a 3-0 lead with a kill from Frank, a sharp serve from Hodges that forced a miscue, and an error off the block. The Texans kept the pressure on as Frank added another swing and the defense forced more mistakes, building a 6-2 cushion. With Teya Nguyen stepping to the service line, Tarleton State went on a big run. Breannah Peterson, Lara, and Burke all struck for kills to stretch the margin to 13-5. The momentum carried as Burke and Dinh powered home attacks and Lara continued to score at the net. Louisiana Tech tried to chip away, but Tarleton State never let go of control, answering every push with timely kills from Frank, Lara, and Burke. The Texans closed strong out of a timeout, with Lara slamming down the ball to reach set point at 24-19. A final service error from Tech ended it, giving Tarleton State a 25-20 first-set win.
Tarleton State wasted no time setting the tone in the second frame as Dinh put down the first kill of the set, sparking an early run capped by back-to-back swings from Frank and Lara for an 8-3 lead. With Carter serving, the Texans forced errors and kept control before Burke added a kill to keep momentum rolling. Fresh legs off the bench made an impact as Peterson and Nguyen combined at the net, with Peterson's kill and a big block helping extend the lead to 12-6. Victoria Fontenot joined the action with an assist to Peterson and a setup for Madison Rice-Locket to push the margin wider. Out of the media timeout, Rice-Locket dropped in an ace, and Frank hammered home another kill to make it 17-11. Lara and Nguyen added points late, and Burke and Dinh kept the pressure on at the net as Tarleton State pulled ahead 23-15. Peterson sealed set point with a kill off a Nguyen assist, and the Texans closed it out 25-16 on a Louisiana Tech attack error, taking a commanding 2-0 match lead.
Tarleton State struck first in the third and final set as Dinh and Lara delivered early kills, and Frank added another to push the Texans ahead 4-1.Burke kept the momentum going with a swing from the middle, and Lara chipped in again as Tarleton State built a 7-3 cushion. Substitutes Peterson and Nguyen provided a spark, with Burke hammering another kill off Nguyen's set to extend the lead. Louisiana Tech tried to rally, but Fontenot entered to set up Peterson and Rice-Locket for points that steadied the Texans at 12-9. Out of the media timeout, Burke swung for another score, then Leila Paraoan added her first kill to give Tarleton State breathing room at 18-15. Frank took over late with back-to-back kills, followed by a block error she forced with Carter setting, stretching the advantage to 22-17. Nguyen dropped in a clutch service ace to reach set point, and Burke finished the frame with a kill off a Hodges assist, sealing the set 25-19 for the Texan victory.
The Texans will return to Wisdom Gym on Friday at 1 p.m. for the final day of the Texan Classic for True Texan Day.
