TAMUC – Sports

 

No. 1 Lions hit the road for first time in 2018 for a matchup at William Jewell.

COMMERCE – The No. 1 Texas A&M University-Commerce football team hits the road for the first time in the 2018 season to take on the William Jewell Cardinals. This is the second game of the season for the Lions, but the first for the Cardinals, whose opening contest against Drake was canceled due to lightning.

WHO: Texas A&M University-Commerce at William Jewell College
WHERE: Liberty, Mo. | Greene Stadium
WHEN: Noon on Saturday, September 8
RECORDS: The Lions are 1-0 overall and 1-0 in the Lone Star Conference after a 37-36 double-overtime win over Texas A&M-Kingsville. This is the first game of the season for William Jewell.
RANKINGS: Texas A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 1 in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll and No. 2 in the D2Football.com Media Poll. William Jewell is unranked.

LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network — KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.glvcsn.com/jewell/
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/jewell/football
TICKETS: https://jewell.simpletix.com/SimpleTixExpress/Events/EventSectionDetail.aspx?ShowId=36744&EventTimeId=86125

LIONS LOOK TO EXTEND STREAK
• With the 37-36 double-overtime win over A&M-Kingsville to claim the Chennault Cup for the seventh straight year, the Lions extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 11 games.
• The Lions scored 37 points for the second straight game, having also scored 37 in the National Championship Game win over West Florida.
• The victory was the second consecutive one-point win in a season opener for the Lions, who defeated North Alabama 8-7 in the 2017 opener.
• This is A&M-Commerce’s seventh straight Chennault Cup win, tying A&M-Kingsville’s streak from 1992-99 as the longest winning streak in the 65-game series.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE CARDINALS
• This is the second meeting between the two schools, with A&M-Commerce earning a 59-6 victory on CommUniverCity Day in 2017.
• A&M-Commerce is 3-0 against current Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) teams, with a pair of wins over Truman State in 1937 and 1938 and last year’s win over WJC.

SUCCESS AGAINST THE SHOW ME STATE
• The Lions are 6-0 all-time against schools from the state of Missouri, defeating Missouri Valley College 26-7 in the 1958 Tangerine Bowl, and taking both ends of a home-and-home series with Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) in 1967 and 1968.
• This is A&M-Commerce’s first game in the state of Missouri since the 37-15 win over SMSU in Springfield in 1967.
• The Lions’ home practice site during the 2017 National Championship preparations was Winnetonka High School in Kansas City.

CARTHEL PICKS UP WIN NUMBER 50
• Head coach Colby Carthel now ranks fifth in A&M-Commerce history in coaching wins with 50 wins.
• He is now only 13 wins behind Lion and LSC legend J.V. Sikes, who sits in fourth place with 63 wins.

1	Ernest Hawkins	1964-85	132-92-6
2	Eddie Vowell	1986-98	74-71-1
3	Bob Berry	1935-41, 46-50	72-34-8
4	J.V. Sikes	1954-63	63-34-4
5	Colby Carthel	2013-pres.	50-15
6	M.A. Smith	1951-53	30-2-1

SENIORS ON PACE TO SET SCHOOL RECORD
• The 2017 senior class established the school record for wins in a four-year period with the victory in the National Championship Game with 42 games won in a four-year span.
• The 2018 seniors are already in the top five groups in school history at 34-7 with a guarantee of 10 more games in the season.

Years	Record
2014-17	42-10
1951-54	36-5-2
2013-16	35-14
1957-60	34-7
2015-18	34-7
1972-75	32-13-1
1936-39	31-8
1990-93	31-16-1

MARTINEZ PICKS UP LSC HONORS IN WEEK 1
• Kicker Kristov Martinez scored seven points in the opening game to earn LSC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
• The graduate student from Edinburg was 1-for-2 on field goal attempts and was 4-for-4 on PAT attempts,
• He is now 55-of-73 on field goal attempts in his career, which ranks 14th in Division II history. The Division II career record is 82 made field goals.
• Martinez is the Division II active career leader in made field goals, and ranks fourth in all NCAA divisions behind LSU’s Cole Tracy  (72), Wisconsin’s Rafael Gaglianone (62) and Toledo’s Jameson Vest (58). Those four kickers are the only NCAA players through the first week of 2018 with more than 50 field goals to their credit.
• LSU’s Tracy is actually a Division II transfer from Assumption (Mass.), where he won the Fred Mitchell Award in 2017.
• Martinez is on the preseason watch list for the Mitchell Award.
• For his career, Martinez has made 180-of-187 PAT attempts and is the Division II active career leader. Oklahoma’s Austin Seibert is the all divisions active career leader with 231 made PATs. Martinez is fourth in all divisions behind Seibert, Ohio State’s Sean Nuernberger (188), and North Dakota State’s Cam Pederson (187).
• Martinez was named second-team All-Super Region Four by the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association and Don Hansen’s Football Gazette.
• He has been named a second-team preseason All-American by Lindy’s.
• Martinez was also named LSC All-Academic and A&M-Commerce’s male LSC Scholar-Athlete for 2017-18.

WHEELER DEALS IN FIRST CAREER START
• Lion quarterback Preston Wheeler made his first career start in the Chennault Cup win over A&M-Kingsville, providing poise in the pocket to lead the blue and gold to victory in his first-ever extended action.
• The redshirt junior from Austin Bowie completed 23-of-48 passes for 298 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.
• Wheeler turned it on after halftime, completing 17-of-34 passes for 206 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in the second half and the overtime periods.
• Wheeler completed passes to six different receivers, with four wide receivers, a tight end, and a running back each catching passes.

NEWCOMERS ON THE BOARD
• Two new Lions scored in their first games in the blue and gold.
• Redshirt freshman wide receiver Matt Childers (Henderson) caught a 17-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter for the Lions’ first points of the season.
• Junior quarterback Kane Wilson (New Orleans, La.) came into the game and scored on his first touch for the Lions with a 1-yard touchdown carry in the third quarter.

“BIG MIKE” MAKES BIG NOISE IN OPENER
• Michael Onuoha (pronounced uh-no-ha) was a menace in the backfield in the opening game.
• The senior from Edmond, Okla., had five total tackles with 3.5 tackles for losses of 16 yards, and 2.5 sacks for losses of 15 yards.  He also had five quarterback hurries.
• Prior to the season, Onuoha received an honorable mention All-American and second-team All-Region pick by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette. He was also a first-team all-Lone Star Conference pick.
• “Big Mike” ranked seventh in the LSC with 12 tackles for loss and recorded 56 tackles on the season.

HARRIS AWARD NOMINEE IS TOP TACKLER
• The Lions’ leading tackler in senior Brucks Saathoff returns to lead the A&M-Commerce defense.
• The San Antonio native has led the Lions in tackles for the last two seasons.
• He was the overall leader in tackles for the Lions in the opener with eight stops against A&M-Kingsville.
• In 2017, Saathoff was the Lion leader with 101 tackles, averaging 6.7 stops per game.
• For his career, Saathoff has 217 tackles, which is the leading mark for the Lions.

SUCCESS ON FIELD AND IN CLASSROOM
• One of the Lions’ top defensive performers was also one of the nation’s top academic performers in 2017.
• Senior Garrett Blubaugh returns as the Lions’ second-leading tackler. Blubaugh made 84 stops in the National Championship season and excelled in the playoffs.
• The Keller product made four tackles in the opener against the Javelinas and had a key pass breakup on the goal line on a wide receiver pass.
• Blubaugh was the football winner of the NCAA Elite 90 Award, which recognizes the top grade point average at the national finals site.
• The biological sciences major was also a Lone Star Conference All-Academic selection.

LEAGUE’S TOP TIGHT END RETURNS FOR LIONS
• The “A” position in the Lion offense must display versatility as both a traditional tight end and a receiver.
• The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Vincent Hobbs did just that in 2017, earning multiple honors and making many highlights in the National Championship campaign.
• In the opener, the Mesquite native had six receptions for 47 yards and a 12-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter.
• He has been selected as a first-team preseason All-American by Lindy’s and noted as a potential professional football candidate.
• He was a Don Hansen’s Football Gazette second team All-American and first team all-region selection, as well as an all-Lone Star Conference first team selection.
• He had 64 receptions for 785 yards and seven touchdowns in 2017.

WIMBERLY NEARS TOP OF RECEIVING CHARTS
• Wide receiver Marquis Wimberly made the highlight reel with the game-tying touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, but the senior’s consistency was key down the stretch.
• The Duarte,  Calif., native had eight receptions for 99 yards and the OT score.
• The eight receptions is tied for the most catches in the Lone Star Conference in the opening week of the season, while his 99 yards is the third-most in the league
• In 2017, he had 64 catches for 794 yards and six touchdowns, with four games over 100 yards receiving. He had a season-best nine receptions for 120 yards in the regional semifinal win at Central Washington.

TRACK ALL-AMERICAN EXCELS IN MULTIPLE ASPECTS
• The Lions needed a boost in the third quarter of the win over A&M-Kingsville and cornerback Reggie Kincade provided that spark in multiple aspects of the game.
• The senior from Everman is now the LSC leader in kick return average as he had returns of 45 and 35 yards to set up short fields for the Lions with the 40.0-yard per return average.
• He then snagged a key interception on third down late in the fourth quarter, setting up the drive which would send the game to overtime.
• Kincade established himself as a big return threat in the National Championship Game, returning a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown.
• He has won All-American honors in the 4×100 meter relay twice in his career on the Lion track team and is part of three school record-holding relay teams.

 

 

Munguia scores early first and second-half goals, the Lions defeat Dallas Baptist 2-1.

DALLAS– The Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team defeated Dallas Baptist 2-1 on Tuesday night. The Lions scored goals in the early minutes of each half to get the victory.

The win brings the Lions to 2-1-0 on the season and gives them another South Central Region win. The Patriots fall to 0-2-1 on the season.

The Lions return to action on Sunday as they travel to San Antonio to face St. Mary’s on Sunday. The game will be at Noon at Sigma Beta Chi Field.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Sabrina Munguia (Baytown – Sterling) scored both goals for the Lions, her first two goals of the season. She scored in the third minute of the first half and the first minute of the second half.
– Leslie Campuzano (Garland – Lakeview Centennial) assisted both goals, her first two assists of the year. She also had a shot on goal.
– Cora Welch (Plano) also had a shot on goal.
– DBU controlled the ball for much of the game, outshooting the Lions 20-6.
– The Lion defense made things tough on DBU, holding the Patriots to only 30 percent of their shots being on goal. The Lions had four shots on goal.
– Caitlin Duty (Crandall) made five saves on the day, while DBU had two saves.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions got the scoring started quickly, scoring a goal in the third minute of the match. After a foul on DBU gave the Lions a free kick, Campuzano launched the ball over the DBU defense. Munguia was there and had a step on defense. She popped the ball over the keeper’s head from 15 feet away and got the Lions on the board.

DBU had two early shots, but both went wide of the goal. The Lions controlled the ball early in the match, keeping the ball away from the Patriots. The Lions also had two corner kicks in the game, but the Patriots prevented the Lions from finding space to fire shots at the goal.

The Patriots began to control the ball more starting in the 16th minute and had three chances to score in a matter of minutes. The first was on a spin around shot that was stopped by Duty on a dive. The second was a soft shot that was scooped up by Duty. A third chance came on a breakaway by a DBU player that momentarily got a half step on the Lion defense. However, the shot went high and out of play. Midway through the half, the Lions held a 1-0 lead.

The teams began to possess the ball more evenly once again for the remainder of the half. The Lions forced a corner kick in the 30th minute, and a well-kicked ball was issued, allowing a header attempt from Welch. However, the DBU keeper was in a position to make the save, keeping a goal off the board.

DBU another opportunity in the 37th minute. With the ball deep in the zone, a Patriot player crossed the ball perfectly to the feet of a teammate. After taking a quick shot, Duty made a diving stop to her right to keep the ball out of the net.

The Patriots did not stop their attack and were able to score a goal in the 40th minute. DBU’s Katelyn Havard received a pass from Summerlyn Heller and found a crease in the Lion defense to launch a shot that found the net. The teams went into the half tied at 1.

DBU outshot the Lions 10-2 in the first half, with five of their shots going on goal. Both of A&M-Commerce’s shots were on target.

The Lions scored within the first 10 seconds of the start of the second half. The Lions controlled possession and pushed the ball forward right away. Campuzano again found Munguia, who got a step on the defender. She dodged the goalkeeper who crept up and shot around her, squeezing the ball into the right side of the goal. The Lions took a 2-1 lead.

The Lions then survived a scare in the 49th minute as a good juke by a DBU forward left her with a view of the goal. Duty charged and made a diving stop 10 yards away from the target. The ball ricocheted back to DBU, and they took another shot. Duty presence forced the trajectory altercation, and the shooter fired the ball wide of the net.

It was a defensive battle throughout the second half, with neither squad being able to take a shot for the next 20 minutes. Both teams had a shot blocked in the 65th before the ball could find its way closer to the goal.

DBU had two shots go high in the next few minutes, with the Lion defense again making it hard to find space for a shot on goal. DBU kept possession of the ball however and had another chance go off target.

The Lions had a late shot on goal as Campuzano found some space in the 86th minute. However, the DBU keeper made the save to keep the game within one score. The Patriots had one final shot attempt in the last minute, but it went well full of the net, and the Lions ran out the clock to finish the one-goal win.

 

Chapron, Rutledge, and Fuentes sweep LSC Volleyball Players of the Week.

RICHARDSON–Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball players Shelley Chapron, Savannah Rutledge and Rylie Fuentes have swept the Lone Star Conference Players of the Week awards. Chapron, a junior from Houston, was named Offensive Player of the Week. Rutledge, a junior from The Woodlands, was named Defensive Player of the Week. Fuentes, a junior from Robinson, repeated as Setter of the Week. The awards were announced Tuesday by the conference office.

Chapron (St. Pius X HS) hit .309 out of the middle with 31 kills against some of the top teams in the nation at the Colorado Premier Challenge. She had six kills and two blocks against No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul, in the Lions’ five-set win. She then hit .438 with eight kills and four blocks in a loss to Metro State. On Saturday, Chapron’s serving skills were also on display. She had three aces with ten kills and four blocks against No. 3 Lewis. She finished the day with three more aces and hit .583 with seven kills and six blocks against No. 10 Regis. After two weeks of action, Chapron leads the LSC with a .404 hitting average.

Rutledge (College Park HS) kept multiple points off the board with her defensive efforts last week, helping A&M-Commerce defeat three top-10 ranked teams at the Colorado Premier Challenge. She led the team with 73 digs, averaging better than four digs per set. She had 15 digs in the team’s five-set win over No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul. She had 18 digs in the Lions’ five-set win over No. 3 Lewis and added 24 digs in the team’s four-set win over No. 10 Regis. She also had two aces and 17 assists.

Fuentes (Robinson HS) again shined for A&M-Commerce with her play last week at the Colorado Premier Challenge. She had 100 assists in the team’s two-setter system and helped put the Lion hitters in right positions to win three matches against top-10 ranked opponents. She had 26 assists in the Lions’ five-set win over No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul. She added 22 assists in the team’s five-set win over No. 3 Lewis. She finished the tournament with a career-high 36 assists in the team’s four-set win over No. 10 Regis. Fuentes also had three aces and three kills during the tournament.

Chapron, Rutledge, Fuentes and the Lions are the No. 17-ranked team in the country, the first national ranking since 1989. A&M-Commerce defeated three top-10 ranked teams last week. The No. 17 Lions return to action on Thursday with their final non-conference match before the start of the conference season. A&M-Commerce will face Southern Arkansas on Thursday at 5:00 pm at the Burg Center on the campus of Dallas Baptist. The Lions will then travel to meet Angelo State on Friday at 7:00 pm and will face No. 24 Tarleton State on the road on Saturday at 2:00 pm to begin conference play.

LONE STAR CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Offense
Aug. 28 – Madison Brabham, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Sept. 4 – Shelley Chapron, Texas A&M-Commerce

Defense
Aug. 28 – Sundara Chinn, Angelo State
Sept. 4 – Savannah Rutledge, Texas A&M-Commerce

Setter
Aug. 28 – Rylie Fuentes, Texas A&M-Commerce
Sept. 4 – Rylie Fuentes, Texas A&M-Commerce

 

Lion Volleyball ranked No. 17 in latest AVCA Poll, the first time in the poll since 1989.

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team is now nationally ranked. The Lions the No. 17 team in the nation in the latest American Volleyball Coaches of America poll. For the first time since 1989, the Lions are nationally-ranked after Monday’s release.

The Lions made a big impression on voters after defeating three top-10 ranked teams last week at the Colorado Premier Challenge. A&M-Commerce defeated No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul, No. 3 Lewis (No. 5 in current ranking), and No. 10 Regis (No. 15 in current ranking). The Lions also have a win over Central Oklahoma, who is ranked No. 18 in the current poll.

“I’m proud of how our team has prepared for this year and their hard work so far,” said A&M-Commerce head coach Craig Case. “They truly earned this national ranking. Now, we have to get back to work and continue to get better. We have a long season ahead of us with some more great opponents. We have to be ready for that. We open up conference play against two teams as good as any we’ve played yet. So we can’t get too hung up on early season accomplishments and rankings. We’re going to be proud of the matches we have won and keep striving to improve.”

From 1986, the first year the AVCA poll was published, until 1989, the Lion volleyball team was ranked in 27 polls, including all 11 votes in both 1987 and 1988. The highest ranking the Lions have ever reached in the poll is No. 5, part of the 1987 season that saw A&M-Commerce ranked in the top-10 in 10 different polls during the year.

The Lions are the highest ranked team from the Lone Star Conference in the AVCA poll. Tarleton State, who the Lions will face on Saturday, is ranked No. 24.

The No. 17 Lions return to action on Thursday with their final non-conference match before the start of the conference season. A&M-Commerce will face Southern Arkansas on Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Burg Center on the campus of Dallas Baptist. The Lions will then travel to meet Angelo State on Friday at 7:00 pm and will face No. 24 Tarleton State on the road on Saturday at 2:00 pm to begin conference play.

2018 AVCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll – Sept . 1 (Week 2)

Rk	School	Points	Record	Previous
1	Nebraska-Kearney (26)	1142	8-0	5
2	Concordia – St. Paul (15)	1122	6-2	2
3	Northern State (6)	1080	8-0	7
4	Palm Beach Atlantic	919	8-0	11
5	Lewis	887	6-2	3
6	Minnesota Duluth (1)	850	6-2	1
7	Southwest Minnesota State	837	5-3	8
8	Rockhurst	816	7-1	6
9	Cal State San Bernardino	777	7-1	9
10	Central Missouri	731	6-2	14
11	West Florida	687	5-3	13
12	Western Washington	641	5-3	15
13	Ferris State	597	5-3	4
14	Wheeling Jesuit	537	6-2	12
15	Regis	470	4-4	10
16	Gannon	420	7-0	16
17	A&M-COMMERCE	404	6-2	NR
18	Central Oklahoma	381	7-2	19
19	Wayne State (Neb.)	310	7-1	20
20	Tampa	272	7-1	25
21	Florida Southern	236	5-3	23
22	Drury	210	6-2	NR
23	Northern Michigan	185	8-0	NR
24	Tarleton State	168	6-2	18
25	Missouri Western	149	5-3	21

Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Findlay 137; Cal State L. A. 119; Upper Iowa 119; Colorado School of Mines 87; Truman 83; Angelo State 75; Augustana (SD) 26; Alaska-Anchorage 20; Central Washington 17; West Texas A&M 10; Chaminade 8; Cal Poly Pomona 7; Michigan Tech 7; Wingate 7; Ashland 4

 

 

Lions stay atop national rankings in AFCA Coaches’ Poll after a 2-OT win.

WACO – Following an exciting 37-36 double-overtime victory in the season’s opening game, the Texas A&M University-Commerce football team is ranked No. 1 in the 2018 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll, as released Monday.

The Lions held off an upset-minded Texas A&M-Kingsville team in the opening contest of the season for the 37-36 victory, earning a one-point win in the season opener for the second straight year. A&M-Commerce scored the final 16 points of regulation to force the game into overtime on a field goal by Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week Kristov Martinez (Edinburg). A touchdown pass from Preston Wheeler (Austin – Bowie) to Marquis Wimberly (Duarte, Calif.) tied the game in the second overtime, and Martinez’ extra point won the game.

Four Lion opponents for 2018 are in the top 25 or receiving votes. MSU Texas is ranked 1oth, Colorado State-Pueblo is ranked 12th, and Tarleton and Texas A&M-Kingsville are receiving votes.

A&M-Commerce has been ranked in 41 consecutive AFCA polls, dating back to the 2015 preseason poll. It is A&M-Commerce’s 47th all-time appearance in the AFCA poll since its inception in 2000.

In the polls recognized by Division II as the top rating system, the Lions have been identified as a nationally ranked team 96 times since joining Division II in 1981. It is the third consecutive poll with a Division II No. 1 ranking for the Lions.

The Lions are on the road for their next two contests, starting with this Saturday’s game at William Jewell (0-0). That game is set to kick off at noon in Liberty, Mo., at WJC’s Greene Stadium.

2018 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll
September 3, 2018

 

 

Kristov Martinez named LSC Special Teams Player of the Week after clutch kicks help No. 1 Lions win the opener.

RICHARDSON– The Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday, is Texas A&M University-Commerce senior Kristov Martinez.

Martinez – who is pursuing his Master’s of Education degree in Secondary Education – performed in the clutch when the Lions needed it most in the double-overtime win over A&M-Kingsville. He made a 34-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining to tie the game at 23-all and send the contest to overtime. He was 4-for-4 on PAT attempts, including the game-winning point after the touchdown in the second overtime.

Martinez ranks fourth in career field goals made (55) and career PATs made (180) and fifth in kicking scoring (345 points) amongst active players in all divisions of the NCAA. He is the Division II leader in all three categories.

Martinez and the No. 1 Lions defeated A&M-Kingsville 37-36 in double overtime in the Lions’ season-opening game. A&M-Commerce is next in action on Saturday when they travel to Liberty, Mo. to face William Jewell. Kickoff is Noon at Greene Stadium.

LONE STAR CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Offense
Sept. 3 – Layton Rabb, Midwestern State

Defense
Sept. 3 – Hunter Kyle, Angelo State

Special Teams
Sept. 3 – Kristov Martinez, Texas A&M-Commerce

 

 

Lions win a five-set battle against No. 3 Lewis, knocks out No. 10 Regis in four to take Bronze Bracket title at Colorado Premier.

DENVER– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team picked up two wins against top-10 teams in their second day at the Colorado Premier Challenge. The Lions defeated No. 3 Lewis in five sets earlier in the day (19-25, 25-20, 18-25, 25-22, 15-12), then defeated No. 10 Regis in four sets (20-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-23) to win the bronze bracket.

The wins bring the Lions to 6-2 on the season. It is the second year in a row the Lions have defeated nationally ranked opponents in back-to-back days.

The Lions return to action on Thursday with their final non-conference match before the start of the conference season. The Lions will face Southern Arkansas on Thursday at 5:00 pm at the Burg Center on the campus of Dallas Baptist. The Lions will then travel to face Angelo State on Friday at 7:00 pm and will face Tarleton State on the road on Saturday at 2:00 pm to begin conference play.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (No. 3 Lewis)
– It was the second day in a row the Lions defeated a top-3 AVCA ranked opponent. The Lions defeated No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul on Friday. CSP went on to claim the Colorado Premier Challenge overall championship.
– The Lions were outhit .118 to .163 and were blocked 15 times in the match. A&M-Commerce had a +14 advantage in kills and a +15 advantage in assists, however.
– Jaslyn Wacker (Austin – Vista Ridge) led the team with 13 kills and had two blocks. Bina Njikam (Keller) had 12 kills, hitting .381.
– Shelley Chapron (Houston – St. Pius X) had 10 kills, four blocks, and three aces. Madison Luther (Sealy) had nine kills, including four in the fifth set.
– Jaryn Wacker (Austin – Vista Ridge) had five kills and Nicole Gonelli (Round Rock – Stony Point) had three.
– Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) had eight kills, 11 assists, and 10 digs. Rylie Fuentes (Robinson) led the team with 22 assists while Carolina Machado (Sao Paulo, Brazil) had 13.
– Savannah Rutledge (The Woodlands – College Park) led the team with 18 digs. Riley Davidson (Commerce) and Daniela Santos (Caracas, Venezuela) both added 16 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Flyers took the first three points of the match before the Lions got things going. Vela had two early kills as the Lions tied the match at four early. Njikam also had three consecutive kills as the Lions took an 12-10 advantage midway through the set. The teams continued to battle, with the score tied at 18 late. However, the Flyers scored seven of the final eight points to win the set 25-19. The Lions had a negative hitting percentage in the set with 12 attack errors.

The Lions got out to a quick start in the second set, winning five of the first seven points. Vela had three early kills in the set. Jaslyn Wacker also had two early kills as the Lions held a 13-8 advantage midway through the set. Rutledge had a service ace, pushing the Lions’ lead to eight points. Jaslyn Wacker had two more kills and the Lions pushed their lead to ten points. Lewis attempted a comeback but it fell short and A&M-Commerce won the second set 25-20.

The third set was evenly matched in the first half, with the teams tied at 12 midway through. Lewis then went on an 8-0 run to take control of the set. The Lions battled back to within four points but could not mount the comeback and fell 25-18 in the set.

The Flyers jumped out to an early lead in the fourth set, winning eight of the first 11 points. The Lions started to fight back, scoring 13 points in a row. Chapron had three aces in the rally and both Jaslyn Wacker and Njikam had two kills apiece in the rally that put the Lions up 16-8. The Lions held their lead at 22-14 before Lewis put up a fight, scoring eight of the next nine points to cut the Lion lead to just one point. The Lions finished out the set, however, with the Wacker sisters each recording a kill to win the set 25-22 and force a deciding fifth set.

The Lions scored six of the first seven points of the final set, with Luther recording two early kills. The Flyers battled back to tie the set at 11 apiece. The Lions closed out the set with back-to-back kills from Luther, winning the match in five.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (No. 10 Regis)
– Jaslyn Wacker led the team with 11 kills and five blocks while Bina Njikam had 10 kills and six blocks.
– Celeste Vela had nine kills and six assists. Madison Luther also had nine kills.
– Daniela Santos and Shelley Chapron both had seven kills.
– Rylie Fuentes led the team with 36 assists while Carolina Machado had 11.
– Savannah Rutledge had a team-high 24 digs, Riley Davidson had 15 and Santos had 14.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Regis scored five of the first seven points of the match. The Lions battled back to cut the Ranger lead to one point. Regis went on two mini-runs to build their lead to five points and eventually led by six late. The Lions lost the first set 25-20.

The teams traded points early in the second set, with the teams tied at six. The Lions then went on a 6-1 run to establish a lead. The Lions built their lead up to six points before Regis went on a 6-1 run to tie the set at 20 late. The Lions answered the call, scoring five of the final seven points to win the second set 25-22.

With the third set all tied at three, the Lions went on a 7-1 run to take a lead in the third set. Santos had three kills in the rally, giving the Lions a 10-4 lead. The Lions built their lead to as many as eight in the set. A late comeback by the Rangers fell short and A&M-Commerce won the set 25-20.

Regis scored six of the first eight points of the fourth set. The Lions clawed their way back into the set, scoring seven points in a row to take a four-point lead. Fuentes had two aces in the rally and Njikam had two kills. The Lions pushed their lead to six before a late rally from Regis tied the set at 23-all. The Lions scored the final two points to seal the match.

 

 

Ward’s last-gasp goal gives Lions 2-1 double-overtime win over Westminster.

COMMERCE – The last-gasp goal gave the Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team its first victory of the season, as the Lions picked up a 2-1 double-overtime win over Westminster College on Saturday.

The Lions move to 1-1 overall on the season, while the Griffins fall to 0-1. A&M-Commerce faces a quick turnaround, traveling to Dallas to take on the Patriots of Dallas Baptist on Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Lions were outshot by the Griffins, 13-8, with Westminster putting seven shots on goal to A&M-Commerce’s five.
– Leslie Campuzano (Garland – Lakeview Centennial) scored her first goal of the season from long range on an assist from Delaney Bunselmeyer (Denton – Ryan).
– Izzy Ward (McKinney – Boyd) netted the game-winning goal.
– Caitlin Duty (Crandall) made six saves for the Lions.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions controlled the run of play early in the game with multiple shots, but the timing on forwarding runs was marginally off, as A&M-Commerce was caught in offside positions four times in the opening 22 minutes.

Westminster took the lead in the 31st minute, as Ellie Echeverio put the ball in the back of the net on an assist from Gabriella Riche.

Only five minutes later, the Lions knotted the game at a goal apiece. Campuzano rocketed a shot to the top shelf from 23 yards out in the 37th minute after a lead pass from Bunselmeyer. Duty made two more saves down the stretch in the half and the game went to the halftime break tied at 1-all.

Duty and the Lion defense kept the guests at bay in the second half. The senior made a pair of saves in the period, but neither team was able to score. A&M-Commerce had the only shot on goal in the first overtime.

The game went end-to-end in the second overtime before the Lions scored at the death. Campuzano sent in a corner kick in the final 40 seconds. After the Westminster goalkeeper punched the ball away, it found the feet of Ward at the top of the penalty area. Ward looped the shot into the net from 20 yards out into the upper corner to end the game with the golden goal with nine seconds on the clock.