TAMUC – Sports

 

No. 22 Lions take final three sets to knock off UTPB 3-1 in LSC Quarterfinal

STEPHENVILLE– The No. 22 Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team defeated UT Permian Basin 3-1 on Thursday in the quarterfinal round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament. The Lions fell in the first set but rallied to win the next three. The set scores were 20-25, 25-13, 25-21 and 25-19.

The win brings the Lions to 26-5 on the season, and they advance to the semifinal round of the LSC Tournament. The Falcons fall to 14-16 on the year and are eliminated.

The second-seeded Lions will now face sixth-seed Texas A&M-Kingsville in the semifinal round on Friday at 5:00 p.m. The Lions swept the season series against the Javelinas, sweeping them in Commerce and winning in four sets in Kingsville. The match will be played at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– The Lions hit .288 in the match and held UTPB to a .195 hitting percentage. The Lions had 67 kills in the game on 62 assists.
– Jaryn Wacker (Austin – Vista Ridge) led the team with 18 kills, hitting .333 in the match.
– Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) nearly posted a triple-double. She had 14 kills, 22 assists, and eight digs and also had three aces and three blocks.
– Shelley Chapron (Houston – St. Pius X) totaled 11 kills while Bina Njikam (Keller) had 10 kills while hitting .471.
– Jaslyn Wacker (Austin – Vista Ridge) and Madison Luther (Sealy) both had seven kills.
– Rylie Fuentes (Robinson) led the team with 36 assists, tying a season-high. She also had 10 digs. Savannah Rutledge (The Woodlands – College Park) led the team with 16 digs.

– Daniela Santos (Caracas, Venezuela) had nine digs while Riley Davidson (Commerce) had three aces.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lions got off to a hot start, scoring five of the first six points of the match. Jaryn Wacker had three early kills in the rally. The teams began to then trade their marks, with the Lions maintaining their lead between two and four points. That changed to finish the set as UTPB caught fire. Trailing 20-18, the Falcons scored the final seven points of the frame to take the first set 25-20. Jaryn Wacker had six kills in the game.

The Lions quickly jumped out to a lead in the second set, recording a 12-1 run to take a 10-point lead. Vela had two kills and three service aces as part of the rally. The Lions went on another 5-1 run to push their lead to 12 points. The Lions won the set 25-13. Jaryn Wacker and Vela each had four kills in the game.

The Lions again got off to a hot start, taking the first three points of the third set. The Falcons rallied back to within one before another Lion run pushed the lead to 12-6 at the midway mark of the game. The Falcons battled back to get within one point late. However, the Lions then scored five points in a row to put the set out of reach. A&M-Commerce won the third set 25-21. Jaryn Wacker and Vela both had five kills in the game.

The Lions again came out firing in the fourth set, taking six of the first seven points. The Lions led 13-7 at the midway point of the game. The Falcons battled back to within three before A&M-Commerce took four points in a row to build their largest lead of the set. The Falcons attempted to fight back, but A&M-Commerce shut them down, winning five of the final seven points to win the game 25-19. Vela and Njikam both had four kills in the last set.

 

 

 

Kotlik named Google Cloud Academic All-District.

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce midfielder Michelle Kotlik has been named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District® Team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday.

First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the Google Cloud Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team (if necessary) Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early December.

Kotlik – a senior from Grapevine – was named the Lone Star Conference Academic Player of the Year and first-team all-LSC at last week’s LSC Awards Banquet. Kotlik is double majoring in sociology and criminal justice and earns Google Cloud Academic All-District honors for the second consecutive season. She has been named to the Dean’s List once, President’s List three times, LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll four times, Best In Class List three times, Athletics Director’s List once, and has been a recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.

In addition to shining in the classroom, Kotlik played in and started 16 matches, scoring a career-high six goals, including three game-winners. She also had an assist with 13 shots on goal. She finished sixth in the LSC in points, fifth in goals scored, and fourth in game-winning goals.

In 2017, she was the LSC Midfielder of the year, USC First Team All-Region, D2CCA Second Team All-Region, and First Team All-LSC. In 2016, she was named Second Team All-Region by the D2CCA and NSCAA and Second Team All-LSC.

NCAA DIVISION II – DISTRICT 6 (Heartland, Lone Star, Rocky Mountain)

Pos.	Name	School	Yr.	Major
F	Anna Gregg	Colorado-Colorado Springs	Sr.	Health Science
F	Hannah Kelley-Lusk	West Texas A&M	Jr.	Nursing
F	Jennifer Kendall	Colorado School of Mines	Sr.	Mechanical Engineering
M	Michelle Kotlik	A&M-COMMERCE	Sr.	Sociology / Criminal Justice
M	Nicole LaTourette	Colorado School of Mines	Jr.	Mechanical Engineering
M	Tori Rinsem	Regis	Jr.	Health & Exercise Science
M	Marlene van Mourik	West Texas A&M	Jr.	Business Management
D	Kaitlyn Caro	Eastern New Mexico	Gr.	Business Administration
D	Kilee Lamb-Allsop	Dixie State	Sr.	Business Administration
D	Nichole Mertz	Dixie State	Sr.	Nursing
D	Cheyenne Orozco	West Texas A&M	So.	Biology
GK	Taylor Sargent	Rogers State	Sr.	Medical & Molecular Biology

 

 

Vela named LSC Freshman of the Year, Case named Co-Coach, seven Lion Volleyballers brings LSC awards.

STEPHENVILLE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team brought home a bundle of awards at the annual Lone Star Conference volleyball banquet, held Wednesday night. Celeste Vela was named the LSC Freshman of the Year, and head coach Craig Case was named Co-Coach of the Year.

Also, seven Lions were named to the All-Conference teams, and three student-athletes were called to the All-Academic team. Shelley Chapron was named First Team All-Conference and was named to the Academic team. Jaryn Wacker and Jaslyn Wacker were both named Second Team All-Conference and were both named to the Academic team. Bina Njikam was also named Second Team All-Conference. Savannah Rutledge and Rylie Fuentes joined Vela on the Honorable Mention team.

Vela– from Guadalajara, Mexico– became the fourth Lion Volleyball player in program history to be named Freshman of the Year and the first since 1997. The setter and hitter contributed all over the court for the Lions, transitioning from outside hitter in the frontcourt to setter in the backcourt. Vela was a two-time LSC Setter of the Week and recorded seven triple-doubles on the year, the most of any freshman in all of Division II and the fourth most of any player. She also had 17 matches with a double-double. Vela also had 20 games with at least 20 assists. She is averaging 8.8 kills, 17.4 assists and 8.3 digs per match.

Chapron– a junior from Houston (St. Pius X)– earns her second consecutive First Team All-LSC award after another stellar season. She also makes her first appearance on the All-Academic Team. She has been named LSC Offensive Player of the Week three times and also was a one-time Defensive Player of the Week. Chapron leads the conference and is seventh in the nation with a .404 hitting percentage, the only player in the LSC to be hitting higher than .400. She has recorded double-digit kills in 17 different matches and has hit better than .400 in 17 games. She also has 10 games with at least five blocks.

Jaslyn Wacker– a senior from Austin (Vista Ridge)– earns the fourth All-Conference award of her career and her third consecutive appearance on the All-Academic Team. She is second on the team with 291 kills so far this season, and also has more than 100 blocks on the year. She has recorded double-digit kills in 15 matches this season and had 10 games with at least five blocks.

Jaryn Wacker– a senior from Austin (Vista Ridge)– has had a career season, posting a career-high 283 kills on the season with a career-high hitting percentage. This is the second All-Conference award of her career and her second time on the All-Academic team. She was a one-time Offensive Player of the Week. She leads the team and is 10th in the conference in kills per set. She has recorded double-digit kills in 16 matches this season.

Njikam– a senior from Keller– has had a career year in the first extended action of her career. She has posted 267 kills and ranks second on the team and ninth in the LSC with a .284 hitting percentage. She also ranks second on the team and eighth in the conference with 104 blocks on the season. Njikam has posted double-digit kills in 13 matches this season and has hit better than .400 in 10 games on the year. She has 10 games with at least five blocks. This is the first All-LSC award of her career.

Rutledge– a junior from The Woodlands (College Park)– earns the first All-Conference award of her career. She was twice named LSC Defensive Player of the Week. The Lion libero led the team and was sixth in the LSC in digs, recording more than 500 digs for the second season in a row. Rutledge also ranked first on the team and fifth in league with 37 service aces. She has 10 matches with at least 20 digs on the season and has multiple aces in 10 games as well.

Fuentes– a junior from Robinson– earns the first All-Conference award of her career. Part of the Lion two-setter system, Fuentes was named LSC Setter of the Week three different times during the season. She leads the team and is eighth in the LSC with 635 assists this season and has had at least 20 assists in 18 matches this season. She has also had at least 10 digs in seven games.

The case became the first Lion Volleyball coach since 2009 to be named LSC Coach of the Year and the third coach in program history to win the award. The Lions’ record of 25-5 is the most wins under Case’s tenure, and the eighth time in program history the team has reached 25 wins. The team’s 17 conference wins set a new single-season program record.

The Lions are the second seed in the LSC Tournament and will face seventh-seed UT Permian Basin on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. The semifinal round will be played Friday with the championship match scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday. All games will be played at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville.

2018 LSC VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS

SPECIAL AWARDS
Player of the Year: Madison Brabham, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Academic Player of the Year: Meghan Parker, Angelo State
Offensive Player of the Year: Madison Brabham, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah McManus, Tarleton State
Setter of the Year: Meghan Parker, Angelo State
Libero of the Year: Chandler Vogel, West Texas A&M
Newcomer of the Year: Audrey Fragniere, Angelo State
Freshman of the Year: Celeste Vela, Texas A&M-Commerce
Coach of the Year: Mary Schindler, Tarleton State, and Craig Case, Texas A&M-Commerce

All-Academic Team

Player	Team	Pos.	Major
Meghan Parker	Angelo State	Setter	Exercise Science
Paige Dixon	Cameron	OH/RS	Biology
Jennifer Martinez	Eastern New Mexico	MB	Political Science
Jasmine Gannon	Eastern New Mexico	OH	Mathematics for Sec. Educ.
Sarah Glawe	Midwestern State	Setter	Early Childhood Dev.
Adrianna Knutson	Tarleton State	Libero	Kinesiology
Hannah McManus	Tarleton State	MB	Kinesiology
Jaslyn Wacker	Texas A&M-Commerce	MB	Accounting
Jaryn Wacker	Texas A&M-Commerce	OH	Finance and Spanish
Shelley Chapron	Texas A&M-Commerce	MB	Public Health
Madison Brabham	Texas A&M-Kingsville	OH	Business Marketing
Courtney Noel	Texas Woman’s	MB	Mathematics
Skyler Friel	UT Permian Basin	MB	Kinesiology
Lindsey Smith	West Texas A&M	MB	Psychology

First Team

Player	Team	Pos.
Baleigh Allen	Angelo State	MB
Audrey Fragniere	Angelo State	OH
Sundara Chinn	Angelo State	RS
Meghan Parker	Angelo State	Setter
Jasmine Gannon	Eastern New Mexico	OH
Hannah McManus	Tarleton State	MB
Adriana Darthuy	Tarleton State	OH
Shelley Chapron	Texas A&M-Commerce	MB
Madison Brabham	Texas A&M-Kingsville	RS
Courtney Noel	Texas Woman’s	MB
Kate Ranes	Texas Woman’s	Setter
Skyler Friel	UT Permian Basin	MB

Second Team

Player	Team	Pos.
Adrianna Knutson	Tarleton State	Libero
Amber Strange	Tarleton State	OH
Blanca Izquierdo	Tarleton State	Setter
Jaslyn Wacker	Texas A&M-Commerce	MB
Bina Njikam	Texas A&M-Commerce	MB
Jaryn Wacker	Texas A&M-Commerce	OH
Haley Hutchinson	Texas A&M-Kingsville	MB
Bailey French	Texas Woman’s	Libero
Chandler Vogel	West Texas A&M	Libero
Destiny Jones	West Texas A&M	MB
Selena Batiste	West Texas A&M	Setter
Bria Augustine	Western New Mexico	OH

Honorable Mention

Player	Team	Pos.
Bailey Drum	Angelo State	OH
Brittnee Altic	Cameron	Libero
Brandy Carr	Cameron	MB
Sarah Eakin	Midwestern State	MB
Erin Richburg	Midwestern State	OH
Lauren Kersey	Tarleton State	RS
Savannah Rutledge	Texas A&M-Commerce	Libero
Celeste Vela	Texas A&M-Commerce	Setter
Rylie Fuentes	Texas A&M-Commerce	Setter
Maggie Pyles	Texas Woman’s	OH
Travana Matthews	UT Permian Basin	MB
Lindsey Smith	West Texas A&M	MB
Gabi Lau	Western New Mexico	Libero

 

Lion Volleyball holds as the second seed in Regional Rankings headed into the conference tournament.

INDIANAPOLIS– The No. 22 Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team is the second seed in the latest version of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional rankings, as announced Wednesday. The Lions have been the second seed in all three iterations of the 2018 regional rankings.

The Lions are currently 25-5 on the season with a 23-5 record overall against in-region foes. The South Central Region consists of the Lone Star, Heartland, and Rocky Mountain Athletic conferences. The winner of each conference’s postseason tournament receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Regional Tournament, as well as the other five top-ranked teams in the regional rankings. The South Central Regional Championship tournament will be held Nov. 16-18 and hosted by the highest seed. The winner of this single-elimination tournament will advance to the Elite Eight, held this year in Pittsburg, Pa.

Three other teams from the LSC are featured in the rankings. Tarleton holds the top ranking for the third consecutive week, followed by Angelo State as the sixth seed and West Texas A&M as the 10th seed.

The Lions enter the LSC postseason tournament as the second seed and will face seventh-seeded UT Permian Basin on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville. Should the Lions advance, they would play in the semifinal round on Friday at 5:00 p.m. with the Championship Match slated for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The winner of the LSC Tournament will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament.

The final version of the South Central Regional rankings will be revealed Sunday at 9:00 p.m. during the annual NCAA Division II Volleyball Selection Show.

NCAA Division II South Central Regional Rankings – Nov. 7, 2018

Rk.	School	In-Region	Overall
1	Tarleton State	27-3	27-3
2	Texas A&M-Commerce	23-5	25-5
3	Colorado School of Mines	18-3	22-4
4	Dixie State	21-4	21-4
5	Colorado Mesa	18-5	20-6
6	Angelo State	21-6	22-8
7	Regis (Colorado)	17-7	19-9
8	MSU Denver	18-6	19-8
9	Lubbock Christian	21-5	21-8
10	West Texas A&M	16-9	18-12

 

 

No. 14 Lions close out the regular season against Angelo State.

COMMERCE – The No. 14 Texas A&M University-Commerce football team closes out the regular season by welcoming Angelo State for Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day this Saturday.

WHO: Angelo State University at Texas A&M University-Commerce
WHERE: Commerce, Texas | Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium
WHEN: 4:00 pm on Saturday, November 10
RECORDS: The Lions are 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the Lone Star Conference. The Rams are 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the Lone Star Conference.
RANKINGS: Texas A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 14 in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll and No. 19 in the D2Football.com Media Poll. Angelo State is unranked.

LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network — KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: http://lionathletics.com/live
LIVE STATS: http://statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=tame
TICKETS: Tickets are available by visiting WeAreLionsTix.com, calling (903) 468-8756, or visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House.

LIONS HOST ANGELO FOR SENIOR DAY
• The Lions have five straight campaigns with eight victories and are looking for a third straight with nine wins, which would match a school record.
• Before the tenure of Colby Carthel, the Lions had never had a run of more than three straight seasons with eight wins.
• The Lions have aspirations for fourth consecutive NCAA Division II Playoff berth.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE RAMS

• The Lions and Rams are meeting for the 50th time in the history of the two programs.
• ASU leads the all-time series 29-18-2.
• A&M-Commerce has an advantage at home, with a 14-12-1 record against the Rams.
• The Lions have won four consecutive games against Angelo State. A&M-Commerce has won five of the last six meetings.
• The Lions’ 41-40 win in San Angelo in 2014 snapped a five-game Ram win streak.
• The Lions are currently enjoying their longest streak over ASU in the history of the series.

SUCCESS IN BUNCHES
• The Lions scored 34 points in the second quarter of the game at Western New Mexico, establishing a school record for points in a quarter.
• The previous record was 32, which the Lions scored in the second quarter of a 39-39 tie against Angelo State in 1991.

CONTINUED RECOGNITION NATIONALLY
• A&M-Commerce has been ranked in 50 consecutive AFCA polls, dating back to the 2015 preseason poll.
• This is A&M-Commerce’s 56th 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 known as a nationally ranked team 105 times since joining Division II in 1981.

MOVING UP THE RANKS

• Head coach Colby Carthel now ranks fifth in A&M-Commerce history in coaching wins with 57 wins.
• He is now only six 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.	57-17
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 now rank second in school history at 41-9 with a guarantee of one more game in the season.

Years	Record
2014-17	42-10
2015-18	41-9
1951-54	36-5-2
2013-16	35-14
1957-60	34-7
1972-75	32-13-1
1936-39	31-8
1990-93	31-16-1

MARTINEZ CONTINUES TO CLIMB SCORING CHARTS
• Kicker Kristov Martinez scored eight kicking points with two field goals and two PATs in the win over UT Permian Basin.
• The graduate student from Edinburg is now 12-for-17 on field goal attempts and 39-for-39 on PAT attempts in 2018,
• He is now 66-of-88 on field goal attempts in his career, which is tied for fourth in Division II history.
• The Division II career record is 82 made field goals. Second place is 68.
• Martinez is now the record-holder for most career field goals in Lone Star Conference history, eclipsing Sergio Castillo’s 62 career field goals.
• Martinez is the Division II active career leader in made field goals, and fourth in all NCAA divisions behind LSU’s Cole Tracy  (89), Toledo’s Jameson Vest (69), and Wisconsin’s Rafael Gaglianone (67).
• Martinez is on the preseason, September, and October watch lists for the Mitchell Award.
• For his career, Martinez has made 215-of-222 PAT attempts and is the Division II active career leader. Oklahoma’s Austin Seibert is the all divisions active career leader with 281 made PATs. Martinez is fourth in all divisions behind Seibert, North Dakota State’s Cam Pederson (225), and Ohio State’s Sean Nuernberger (216).
• In terms of overall scoring, Martinez (413 points) is chasing Castillo (437 points), and former Harlon Hill winner at Texas A&I Johnny Bailey (426 points) for the all-time LSC scoring record.
• Martinez is also the only Division II kicker with 60 or more consecutive PATs made, having made 94 straight PATs.

HARRIS AWARD NOMINEE IS TOP TACKLER
• The Lions’ leading tackler in senior Brucks Saathoff is also one of the leaders in the Lone Star Conference.
• The San Antonio native is averaging 8.2 tackles per game through nine contests, ranking 86th nationally and sixth in the LSC.
• For his career, Saathoff has 291 tackles, which is the leading mark for the Lions.
• This ranks Saathoff in the top five in Lion history in tackles.

1.	Danny Kirk	1977-80	348
2.	Antonio Wilson	1996-99	348
3.	Brett Bertrand	1994-97	311
4.	Jesse Brooks	1999-2002	297
5.	Brucks Saathoff	2015-pres.	291
6.	Danny Mason	2009-12	280

UREVBU HITS CAREER HIGH FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK
• Lion running back Ovie Urevbu had his sixth career 100-yard rushing game and a career-high against UT Permian Basin.
• He had 27 carries for 195 yards in the win.
• This total pushed the senior from Plano over 1,000 career rushing yards
• Urevbu now has 1,294 career yards on 200 carries, averaging 6.5 yards-per-carry for his career.

TAKE THAT AND LIKE IT
• The Lion kicking game has been spectacular during the 2018 season.
• A&M-Commerce ranks first nationally in kickoff return defense, as Lion opponents average 10.83 yards per return.
• A&M-Commerce ranks No. 24 nationally in net punting. The Lions average 36.93 yards net per punt.
• Tristan Perry averages 41.2 yards per punt, which is second in the Lone Star Conference and ranks 31st nationally.

RETURN TO SENDER
• Lion defensive back Dominique Ramsey had a key 84-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Homecoming win over WT to seal the victory.
• Ramsey has two interceptions for 127 return yards, averaging 63.5 yards per INT return. This does not include an interception on a two-point conversion attempt in the A&M-Kingsville game, which the NCAA statistics policy does not count as an interception.
• On top of this, Ramsey ranks 22nd nationally and second in the LSC in punt return average, averaging 11.6 yards per punt return.
• He has six plays of over 20 yards this season – three punt returns, two interception returns, and a kickoff return. Two of those plays went for touchdowns.
• His five career interceptions are tied for the team lead with senior Chris Smith.

LIONS RANKED SIXTH IN REGIONAL RANKING
• The regional rankings came out for the third time on Monday, with the Lions ranked sixth in Super Region Four.
• The top seven teams in the region qualify for the playoffs at the end of the regular season, with the field announced on November 11.
• The selection show will be posted on NCAA.com at 4 p.m. Sunday/
• The Lions have been ranked in every regional ranking in the last five seasons.
• In the current configuration of Super Region Four (Lone Star, RMAC, Northern Sun, GNAC), the Lions were ranked seventh in the initial rankings in week one of 2018.
• This is the second season of the current configuration of the region.

NICE NIGHT TO BREAK A RECORD
• The Lions held UT Permian Basin to minus-69 rushing yards last week to establish a program single-game record for rush defense.
• The previous record of minus-48 yards was set against Angelo State in 1992.
• The Lone Star Conference record of minus-77 yards was set by McMurry against Abilene Christian in 1968.
• A&M-Commerce had nine sacks and held UTPB running backs to zero cumulative rushing yards. The Falcons did not have a rushing first down.
• This is the second-fewest rushing yards allowed in a Division II game in the last six seasons. Limestone allowed minus-79 rushing yards against Shaw in 2016.
• In all four divisions of NCAA football this season, the Lions have the best single-game rushing defense performance.

Div	Team	Opponent (Date)	Yds
FBS	Clemson	Florida State (Oct 27)	-21
FCS	Colgate	Fordham (Nov 3)	-50
II	A&M-Commerce	UT Permian Basin (Nov 3)	-69
III	Brockport	Utica (Oct 27)	-62

On This Day in Texas A&M-Commerce/East Texas State Football (5-6) : 
• 1950 – The Lions are edged by Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, 19-13.
• 1951 – East Texas wins its fifth straight game with a 21-19 edging of SFA at home.
• 1956 – This time the Lumberjacks come out on top, as ET falls to SFA  in Nacogdoches, 24-17.
• 1962 – The Lions drop a 28-6 LSC decision to Lamar in Commerce.
• 1973 – The Lions roll to a 38-0 shutout of Angelo State in the season’s home finale.
• 1979 – East Texas beats Stephen F. Austin 31-21 in the final home game of the season.
• 1984 – The Lions take a 23-7 win over Howard Payne at home.
• 1990 – East Texas hammers Cameron 59-0 in Lawton to wrap up the regular season and clinch their first Division II playoff berth.
• 2001 – A&M-Commerce falls to Tarleton 34-24 in the final game of the year.
• 2007 – The Lions are edged by Southwestern Oklahoma 21-14 in Weatherford, Okla., to close the year.
• 2012 – The Lions fall to West Texas A&M in the season finale 45-14.

 

 

Preseason LSC favorite Lions push Division I UTRGV to the brink before 91-84 exhibition loss.

EDINBURG – The Texas A&M University-Commerce staged a second-half comeback before ultimately falling to Division I UT Rio Grande Valley, 91-84, in exhibition action on Tuesday night.

The game is one of two exhibition contests against Division I opposition in the next eight days for the Lions and does not count toward their regular season record.

The Lions open the regular season in Lawton, Okla., at 5:30 p.m. Friday against Oklahoma Christian in the LSC/Heartland Challenge.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– The Lions shot 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the field in the contest and held a 56-32 rebounding advantage over the Vaqueros. However, the Lions turned the ball over 22 times to UTRGV’s six.
– Lone Star Conference Preseason Player of the Year Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga.) led all scorers with 23 points. He also tied for the game lead with nine rebounds.
– Willie Rooks (Houston – North Forest) scored 20 points.
– Trey Conrod (Kilgore) added 11 points and nine rebounds.
– A&M-Commerce had 21 offensive rebounds, converting them into 23 second-chance points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Conrod scored on the opening possession of the game and netted the Lions’ first four points. UTRGV went on a 13-point run to take a 16-4 lead with just under 15 minutes left in the first half before a three-pointer by Vernon Lowndes (Charleston, S.C.) stemmed the tide.

That triple keyed 10-2 Lion surge that cut the lead to four points at 20-16 on a Lowndes layup with just under 12 minutes left in half. The Vaqueros would extend the lead back into double digits, but Rooks’ triple with 1:45 to play narrowed the deficit to nine points at 39-30. UTRGV hit a three-pointer just before the buzzer to take a 45-32 lead into the halftime break.

In the opening minutes of the second half, the Vaqueros were able to push their lead to a game-high 19 points at 57-38 with 16:42 to play on a three-point play. A&M-Commerce began to chip away at that advantage, and Rooks’ fastbreak layup after a steal by Tyree Robinson (Fall River, Mass.) brought the margin back to single digits at 64-55 with 10:53 to go.

The Lions continued to roar back in the middle stages of the second half, and Reid’s putback on an offensive rebound with 7:26 to play made it a 67-66 game, putting the Division II side within one point. While A&M-Commerce did not regain the lead, the margin was only one possession in the final two and a half minutes before a six-point UTRGV run.

Conrod had a highlight reel steal and breakaway dunk to cut the lead back to six with a minute to play, and Reid drained a three-pointer with 45 seconds left to narrow the margin to four points at 87-83, but the Vaqueros converted on 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to fend off the Lions.

Lion Athletics Mission: Committed to a “Best in Class” student-athlete experience

 

 

 

Savannah Rutledge, Shelley Chapron bring home LSC Player of the Week honors.

RICHARDSON– Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball players Shelley Chapron and Savannah Rutledge have been named Lone Star Conference Players of the Week. Chapron was named Offensive Player of the Week while Rutledge brought home Defensive Player of the Week honors. The awards were announced by the conference office on Tuesday.

Chapron- a junior from Houston (St. Pius X)- was on point in both of the Lions’ road wins last week, recording at least 17 kills in each match and scoring 41 total points. She had 17 kills with a .306 hitting percentage in the Lions’ five-set win over Eastern New Mexico, while also posting three solo blocks and eight blocks overall. She followed that with an 18-kill performance against West Texas A&M, hitting a blazing .471. It was the 17th match this season Chapron has hit at least .400. She continues to lead the conference in hitting percentage and is seventh in the nation, hitting .404 this season. She is also in the top rankings in total blocks. She was also named the AVCA National Player of the Week, the first player in program history to win the award. This is the fourth Player of the Week award of the season for Chapron.

Rutledge- a junior from The Woodlands (College Park)- was all over the court for the Lions defensively, keeping points off the board in the team’s two wins. She averaged 32 digs per match and 7.11 per set, helping the Lions hold opponents to a .147 hitting average. Rutledge had 30 digs and had an ace in the team’s five-set win over Eastern New Mexico. She was a significant factor in the match, helping hold ENMU to a .114 hitting percentage. Rutledge then had 34 digs and two aces in the team’s four-set win over West Texas A&M. This is Rutledge’s second Defensive Player of the Week award of the season.

Chapron, Rutledge and the No. 22 Lions are the second seed in the Lone Star Conference tournament after posting a conference record of 17-3, the most conference wins in single-season program history. They will face seventh-seed UT Permian Basin on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville. The semifinal round of the LSC Tournament is slated for Friday night with the championship match scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m.

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
Sept. 11 – Audrey Fragniere, Angelo State
Sept. 18 – Jaryn Wacker, Texas A&M-Commerce
Sept. 25 – Jennifer Martinez, Eastern New Mexico
Oct. 2 – Lindsey Smith, West Texas A&M
Oct. 9 – Madison Brabham, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Oct. 16 – Shelley Chapron, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)
Oct. 23 – Hannah McManus, Tarleton State
Oct. 30 – Courtney Noel, Texas Woman’s
Nov. 6 – Shelley Chapron, Texas A&M-Commerce (3)

Defense
Aug. 28 – Sundara Chinn, Angelo State
Sept. 4 – Savannah Rutledge, Texas A&M-Commerce
Sept. 11 – Hannah McManus, Tarleton State
Sept. 18 – Hannah McManus, Tarleton State (2)
Sept. 25 – Alba Ontiveros, Eastern New Mexico
Oct. 2 – Shelley Chapron, Texas A&M-Commerce
Oct. 9– Bailey French, Texas Woman’s
Oct. 16– Sofia Tonga, Tarleton State
Oct. 23 – Adrianna Knutson, Tarleton State
Oct. 30 – Bailey French, Texas Woman’s (2)
Nov. 6 – Savannah Rutledge, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)

Setter
Aug. 28 – Rylie Fuentes, Texas A&M-Commerce
Sept. 4 – Rylie Fuentes, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)
Sept. 11 – Sundara Chinn, Angelo State
Sept. 18 – Celeste Vela, Texas A&M-Commerce
Sept. 25 – Blanca Izquierdo, Tarleton State
Oct. 2 – Rylie Fuentes, Texas A&M-Commerce (3)
Oct. 9 – Celeste Vela, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)
Oct. 16– Blanca Izquierdo, Tarleton State (2)
Oct. 23 – Blanca Izquierdo, Tarleton State (3)
Oct. 30 – Blanca Izquierdo, Tarleton State (4)
Nov. 6 – Kiera Granado, UT Permian Basin

 

 

Shelley Chapron named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week, first ever in program history.

LEXINGTON, Ky.– Texas A&M University-Commerce middle blocker Shelley Chapron has been named the Sports Impact/American Volleyball Coaches’ Association Division II National Player of the Week. The award was announced by the AVCA on Tuesday. It is the first time in program history a Lion has been named AVCA Player of the Week.

Chapron- a junior from Houston (St. Pius X)- was on point in both of the Lions’ road wins last week, recording at least 17 kills in each match and scoring 41 total points. She had 17 kills with a .306 hitting percentage in the Lions’ five-set win over Eastern New Mexico, while also posting three solo blocks and eight blocks overall. She followed that with an 18-kill performance against West Texas A&M, hitting a blazing .471. It was the 17th match this season Chapron has hit at least .400.

“It is great to see Shelley’s hard work and effort being recognized on a national level,” said A&M-Commerce head volleyball coach Craig Case. “She’s a talented player and a huge asset to our team. I’m thrilled she earned this award and was recognized by the AVCA.”

Chapron continues to lead the conference in hitting percentage and is seventh in the nation, hitting .404 this season. She is also in the top rankings in total blocks. This is the first National Player of the Week award of her Lion career.

Chapron and the No. 22 Lions are the second seed in the Lone Star Conference tournament after posting a conference record of 17-3, the most conference wins in single-season program history. They will face seventh-seed UT Permian Basin on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville. The semifinal round of the LSC Tournament is slated for Friday night with the championship match scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m.

AVCA NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Aug. 28 – Allyson Cappel, Ferris State
Sept. 4 – Nicole Mattson, Florida Southern
Sept. 11 – Emmalee Chrest, Drury
Sept. 18 – Eve Stephens, Alaska Anchorage
Sept. 25 – Taylor Reiss, Southwest Minnesota State
Oct. 2 – Laura DeMarchi, Michigan Tech
Oct. 9 – Cate Whiting, Alaska Fairbanks
Oct. 16 – Megi Buvinic, Barry
Oct. 23 – Taylor Reiss, Southwest Minnesota State (2)
Oct. 30 – Kasie Gilfert, Colorado Mesa
Nov. 6 – Shelley Chapron, Texas A&M-Commerce

Josh Manck
Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
Office: 903.886.5131
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3011 | Commerce, TX 75429
Physical Address: 2600 Neal Street | Commerce, TX 75429

Marcus Jensen
Assistant Director of Athletic Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
Office: 903.468.3027
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