The No. 16 Lions fall in four sets at UT Tyler.

TYLER – The No. 16 Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team showed fight in Wednesday’s match before falling to UT Tyler, 3-1, in the Louise Herrington Patriot Center. 

Set scores were 16-25, 23-25, 25-21, 10-25. A&M-Commerce falls to 2-2 overall and in the Lone Star Conference, while UT Tyler is now 6-0 on the season. 

The Lions return to the Field House for their next action, hosting Texas Women’s on Tuesday, February 16, and Wednesday, February 17. The Lions’ next four matches are against the TWU Pioneers. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.) led the Lions with 12 kills and was one of three A&M-Commerce players with double-digit kills.

– Taryn Cast (Peaster) and Maiya Dickie (Huntsville) each had 10 kills, with Dickie hitting .421.

– Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) had a double-double with 42 assists and ten kills, while Riley Davidson (Commerce) led the Lions with 17 digs.

– UT Tyler hit .289 in the match with 57 kills compared to A&M-Commerce’s .143 with 44 kills. 

HEAD COACH CRAIG CASE AFTER THE MATCH 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first set saw the Patriots jump out to an early 8-1 lead before the Lions scraped their way back into the set. A 6-1 run by A&M-Commerce, including a pair of Vela aces, narrowed the margin to four points at 17-13. UT Tyler closed the set out with four straight points for the 25-16 set victory. The Lions hit .156 in the set, while the Patriots were successful on .519 of their swings.

The Lions were the aggressors early in the second set, as Andersen had four kills and A&M-Commerce had two blocks in jumping out to a 9-4 lead. A&M-Commerce was the first team to 20 when Andersen’s kill made it a 20-16 Lion lead, but UT Tyler caught fire late in the frame. The Patriots scored seven of the final eight points in the set, taking a two-set lead with the 25-23 victory. UTT hit .195 in the frame, while A&M-Commerce hit .146. 

The third set was tightly fought and was still tied as late as 18-all. The Lions went on a four-point run, including a Davidson kill to go up 22-18. The Lions held off the Patriots to take the set and extend the match. The Lions had a .229 hitting percentage with only two errors in the set. 

UT Tyler was able to swing the match back in its favor in a fourth set surge. The Patriots closed the match out an eight-point run while holding the Lions to a .031 hitting percentage in the final frame.

Lions ranked No. 16 in AVCA Division II Coaches’ Poll.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team is ranked No. 16 nationally in the latest Division II Coaches’ Poll released by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. 

The Lions earned five-set wins over DBU in their first two matches of the season before falling to UT Tyler in three sets Tuesday. UT Tyler is receiving votes in this week’s poll. 

It is A&M-Commerce’s first national ranking since being ranked 23rd nationally on October 21, 2019, which was the seventh week of that season. 

A&M-Commerce and UT Tyler will play for the second time this season at 6:00 pm tonight in UTT’s Louise Herrington Patriot Center. 

AVCA Division II Coaches’ Poll – February 10, 2021 (Week Three)

Rank	School (First)	Points	Record	Previous
1	Hillsdale (36)	1132	5-0	2
2	Lewis (6)	1104	3-0	5
3	Angelo State (1)	1062	5-0	7
4	MSU Denver (1)	991	5-0	13
5	Rockhurst (1)	921	2-1	10
6	Missouri-St. Louis	891	3-0	18
7	Colorado Mesa	869	4-0	20
8	Colorado School of Mines	804	3-1	16
9	Quincy	641	3-1	NR
10	Drury	623	2-1	NR
11	Walsh	597	4-1	NR
12	Harding	577	3-0	NR
13	Findlay	549	5-1	NR
14	Arkansas Tech	523	3-0	NR
15	Texas A&M – Kingsville	487	3-0	NR
16	A&M-COMMERCE	438	2-1	NR
17	Regis	400	1-2	24
18	Southern Indiana	362	2-1	NR
19	Tiffin	310	3-1	NR
20	Ohio Dominican	248	5-0	NR
21	St. Mary’s	211	2-1	NR
22	Colorado – Colorado Springs	155	2-2	NR
23	Black Hills State	123	2-1	NR
24	Indianapolis	98	1-2	NR
25	Southern Nazarene	80	2-0	NR

Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: West Texas A&M 64; Cedarville 62; Arkansas-Fort Smith 58; Colo State-Pueblo 56;  UT Tyler 56; Oklahoma Baptist 53; Missouri S&T 52; Concordia – St. Paul 48; Nebraska-Kearney 48; Wheeling 42; Minnesota Duluth 41; Washburn 40; Central Missouri 35; Western Washington 34; Lees-McRae 32; Davis and Elkins 31; Wayne State (Neb.) 29; St Cloud State 28; Northwestern Oklahoma State 26; Winona State 22; Azusa Pacific 21; Ferris State 21; Fairmont State 19; Midwestern State 17; Illinois-Springfield 16; Lubbock Christian 16; Gannon 10; Upper Iowa 10; Truman 8; Northwestern Oklahoma State University 7; Southwest Minnesota State 7

9 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 64 combined points.

Dropped Out: Concordia – St. Paul 3; Nebraska-Kearney 1; Wheeling 25; Minnesota Duluth 6; Washburn 4; Central Missouri 8; Western Washington 11; Wayne State (Neb.) 12; St Cloud State 14; Winona State 16; Azusa Pacific 19; Ferris State 15; Northern State 9; Gannon 22; Upper Iowa 21; Southwest Minnesota State 23

Next Poll: February 17

 

Lions suffer first loss of the season at UT Tyler.

Box Score TYLER – The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team suffered its first loss of the season on Tuesday night, falling in three sets at UT Tyler. 

Set scores were 25-15, 25-12, 26-24. UT Tyler is now 5-0 on the year, while A&M-Commerce is 2-1. (Box Score (PDF)) 

The Lions and Patriots will meet in the second match of the series at 6 p.m. Wednesday in UT Tyler’s Louise Herrington Patriot Center. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– The Lions were limited to a .071 hitting percentage with 28 kills and 20 errors on 112 swings. UT Tyler hit .246 with 46 kills.

– Taryn Cast (Peaster) hit .700 with seven error-free kills on ten swings. Nicki Gonelli (Round Rock – Stony Point) also had seven kills.

– Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.) had six kills with 11 digs. Riley Davidson (Commerce) also had 11 digs. Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) passed out 19 assists. 

HEAD COACH CRAIG CASE AFTER THE MATCH

“UT Tyler did a really good job of attacking and keeping us off balance and out of the system,” said head coach Craig Case. “We knew what to expect and still couldn’t get caught up. I tip my hat to them. I need to do a better job preparing our team to compete against some of the elite teams in our league.” 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The two teams played tightly for the first 18 points, with A&M-Commerce only trailing 10-8 before UT Tyler won five straight points and seven of the next eight. The Lions stemmed the tide with three consecutive points, but another five-point run by the Patriots put the set out of reach. TAMUC hit minus-.081 with six kills and nine errors in the first set. 

The second set saw UT Tyler jump out to an early 7-2 lead. The lead was still at seven points at 16-9 when the Patriots scored five straight points, surging to the second set win at 25-12. UTT hit .382 in the set with only two errors, while the Lions hit .125 with only nine kills and five errors. 

The Lions showed vigor in the third set after trailing 11-8. A&M-Commerce scored six straight points, including a pair of service aces by Cast to make it 14-11. UT Tyler tied the set at 18-all before three straight Lion points gave A&M-Commerce a 21-18 lead. The Lions had two chances at the set point after leading 24-22, but the Patriots closed the match on a four-point run to complete the home sweep.

Lion women roar back to take the championship at Jack Brown Memorial; Ortiz Prieto is runner-up.

LAREDO – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s golf team fought back from a 12-stroke deficit entering play Tuesday to earn a one-stroke victory in the Jack Brown Memorial hosted by Texas A&M International University.

The Lions shot 935 (306-322-307, +71) over 54 holes of action to claim victory over West Texas A&M by one stroke (936, +72). 

“I’m very proud of the way our team put up a fight today. Our women were able to regroup after a tough 10th hole to push on and capture the win,” said head coach Lauren Mason. “Our players know what they need to work on over the coming weeks to get prepared for their second event of the season at St. Mary’s. I am very impressed with Inma’s runner-up finish. She had a great attitude all tournament and never let anything faze her.” 

The Lions’ 305 in Tuesday’s final round of action was the best round of the day by ten strokes. 

Inma Ortiz Prieto (Huelva, Spain) was the tournament runner-up with a 230 (+14, 72-78-80) with two birdies in Tuesday’s round. She earned her first top-five finish as a Lion. 

Sarah Wongsinth (Udon Thani, Thailand) shot a 3-over 75 in Tuesday’s round to vault up to the fourth place and earn all-tournament honors at 235 (+19, 78-82-75). 

Sophie-Charlott Hempel (Pirmasens, Germany) shot even-par 72 for the Lions’ best round of the day with three birdies. She placed sixth at 236. 

Karlee Nichols (Smithson Valley) placed 10th on the individual leaderboard at 239 with a pair of birdies on the day, and Michelle Becker (San Antonio – Reagan) placed 27th at 253. 

The Lions are next on the links on March 1-2 in San Antonio at the St. Mary’s Rattler Invitational.

Early cold-shooting too much for No. 7 Lions to overcome in 66-61 loss to Cameron

COMMERCE – The No. 7 Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team could not overcome early shooting woes, falling to Cameron University 66-61 in the Field House on Tuesday afternoon. 

The Lions fall to 10-2 on the season with the loss, while the Aggies are now 7-5. 

A&M-Commerce hosts Texas A&M-Kingsville on back-to-back dates in a Lone Star Conference non-divisional series, with a 5:00 pm tipoff Friday and a 3:00 pm tipoff Saturday.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– The Lions shot 29.2 percent (21-of-72) from the field in the game and made 19.0 percent (4-of-21) from the three-point range.

– Chania Wright (DeSoto) scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the Lions. Dyani Robinson (Cypress – Langham Creek) netted 11 points.

– Juliana Louis (Long Beach, Calif.) recorded a double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds, including nine offensive rebounds.

– The Lions held a 53-39 edge in rebounding, with 27 offensive rebounds turning into 23 second-chance points. 

HEAD COACH JASON BURTON AFTER THE GAME 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The incoming arctic blast weather pattern seemed to bring cold shooting with it to the Field House, as neither team shot well in the first quarter. A&M-Commerce went 4-of-18 (22.2 percent), and Cameron went 4-of-19 (21.1 percent). The Aggies scored the game’s first five points before a nine-point A&M-Commerce rally gave the Lions a 9-5 lead on Wright’s triple at the 4:05 mark. Unfortunately, the Lions’ final field goal of a quarter would end tied at 11-all. 

Keekee Nowlin (Bryan) layup at the 8:13 mark of the second quarter was the only positive marker for the Lions in a 1-for-22 shooting slump, which carried into the second quarter. Cameron’s Whitney Outon scored nine points in the frame to allow the Aggies to go ahead by as many as eight points in the quarter. A Robinson layup and a pair of Louis free throws cut the halftime margin to four points in the final minute, with Cameron ahead 26-22. 

The Lions made only one field goal in the early portions of the third quarter, and Cameron heated up from three-point range, pushing the lead for the visitors to as many as 16 points in the quarter. A layup by Louis, an Asiyha Smith (Conway, Ark.) free throw, and a Robinson trey at the buzzer cut that margin to 50-39 headed to the final quarter of action. 

A&M-Commerce’s defensive pressure in the fourth quarter brought the Lions back into the contest. From a 13-point deficit at the 6:13 mark, the Lions scored eight straight points in two-and-a-half minutes, cutting the margin to 57-52 with 3:45 to play on a pair of Louis free throws. Unfortunately for A&M-Commerce, the Lions went 2:24 without scoring again, allowing Cameron to go back up by 12 points at 64-52. 

The Lions staged a comeback effort in the final minute, including five points from DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.), but the earlier damage was too much to overcome.

Burch earns all-tournament honors as the Lions finish fourth at Jack Brown Memorial.

LAREDO – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s golf team moved up one spot on the team leaderboard to finish in fourth place in the Jack Brown Memorial hosted by Texas A&M International University.

The Lions shot a 914 (310-297-307, +50) in the tournament and had the third round’s second-best score.

“I’m very proud of the way both teams put up a fight today and especially that our men’s team had the second-lowest round of the day,” said head coach Lauren Mason. “Our show this week will only help us build momentum for the rest of the season. Zach played very consistent and had a nice top-five finish. The guys had great team chemistry flowing today. It was great to see Brody carding a -1.” 

Zach Burch (Lubbock – Cooper) claimed all-tournament status in fifth place at 8-over par 224 (75-73-76). He had a birdie and 13 pars in the final round of the event. 

Brody Blackmon (Sulphur Springs) shot a 1-under par 71 in Tuesday’s round to move up to 12th place at 12-over par 228 (78-79-71). He had three birdies in Tuesday’s final 18 holes. 

Chance Mulligan (Dallas – Bishop Dunne) and Joe Wolcik (Cleveland – Tarkington) tied for 18th place at 17-over par 233, and Tripp Wallace (Wolfforth – Frenship) placed 26th at 24-over par 240. 

It was the first of five regular-season events in the spring for the Lions, who are next in action on February 22-23 at the St. Mary’s Rattler Invitational.

Rank	Team	Scores			Total	Par
1.	St. Mary’s	301	293	300	894	+30
2.	Rogers State	303	294	308	905	+41
3.	UT Tyler	296	305	312	913	+49
4.	A&M-Commerce	310	297	307	914	+50
5.	Tex. A&M International	302	300	314	916	+52
6.	Lubbock Christian	307	303	315	925	+61
7.	Arkansas-Ft. Smith	315	315	326	956	+92

 

A&M-Commerce	310	297	307	914	+50	4th
Zach Burch	75	73	76	224	+8	5th
Brody Blackmon	78	79	71	228	+12	t-12th
Chance Mulligan	78	74	81	233	+17	t-18th
Joe Wolcik	81	73	79	233	+17	t-18th
Tripp Wallace	79	77	84	240	+24	t-26th

Texas A&M-Commerce Women’s Basketball Final Stats – Cameron 66 at Tex. AM-Commerce 61

Texas A&M-Commerce Women’s Basketball – Cameron at Texas A&M-Commerce – February 9, 2021

A&M-C Field House Commerce, TX

Final Score: Cameron 66 at Tex. AM-Commerce 61

You can download final stats in PDF, HTML, and XML formats using the URLs below:

• PDF – http://archive.statbroadcast.com/322985.pdf
• HTML – http://archive.statbroadcast.com/322985.html
• XML – http://archive.statbroadcast.com/322985.xml

Winter weather cancels softball’s Irwin Classic.

COMMERCE – With winter weather approaching northeast Texas, the Texas A&M University-Commerce and the University of Texas at Tyler softball programs have canceled the co-hosted Irwin Classic. 

With the cancelations, the No. 9 Lions (3-1 overall) are next slated to host No. 1-ranked Southern Arkansas on Friday, February 19. 

Stay tuned to LionAthletics.com and our social media channels for updates on schedules throughout the season.

LeBlanc named LSC Pitcher of the Week.

RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce’s Alyssa LeBlanc has been named the Lone Star Conference softball pitcher of the week, as announced by the league office Tuesday. 

LeBlanc (Katy) was dominant in the opening weekend in the circle, with a 3-0 record, 0.00 ERA, and a five-inning no-hitter. 

In the Friday win over Arkansas Tech, she came into the game in relief and pitched 2.0 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and a walk to pick up a win thanks to the late Lion offense. In the Friday win over A&M International, she struck out eight and allowed one baserunner on a fourth-inning walk, picking up the fifth no-hitter in Lion history in the 13-0 win. In the Saturday win over A&M International, she pitched a complete game shutout with four hits, seven strikeouts, and one walk. 

She is tied for the LSC lead in ERA, third in opponent batting average, fourth in innings pitched, third in strikeouts (most looking), and tied for the league lead in wins. She also had a home run, a double, and three RBIs at the plate during the week. 

WEEKLY AWARDS

Hitter

F-9 Brooke Makemson, Lubbock Christian 

Pitcher

F-9          Alyssa LeBlanc, Texas A&M-Commerce

 

Lions move up three spots to No. 7 nationally in the WBCA poll.

LILBURN, Ga. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team is ranked seventh nationally in the WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches’ Poll, which is the second coaches’ poll released in the 2020-21 season. 

The Lions are 10-1 overall in the 2020-21 season and received 410 points, a jump of three spots, and 105 points since last week’s initial poll. 

A&M-Commerce is one of three Lone Star Conference teams ranked in the top 25 nationally, joined by No. 1 Lubbock Christian and No. 5 West Texas A&M. 

A&M-Commerce starts a run of four games in seven days this afternoon, hosting Cameron at 3 p.m. After welcoming Texas A&M-Kingsville to the Field House on Friday and Saturday, the Lions will head west for one of the season’s premier matchups, taking on No. 1 Lubbock Christian on Monday afternoon. 

WBCA NCAA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll — Feb. 9, 2021

Rank	School	Record	Points	1st	Prev
1	Lubbock Christian	9-0	572	21	2
2	Lander	10-0	505	1	3
3	Charleston, WV	9-0	496	0	4
4	Drury	11-1	477	1	1
5	West Texas A&M	12-1	435	0	8
6	Minnesota Duluth	7-0	419	0	6
7	A&M-COMMERCE	10-1	410	0	10
8	Hawaii Pacific	5-0	397	0	7
9	Fort Hays State	13-2	338	0	11
10	Valdosta State	14-2	321	0	5
11	Grand Valley State	10-1	306	0	15
12	Carson-Newman	10-1	293	0	13
13	Nebraska Kearney	14-2	277	0	12
14	Western Colorado	9-1	270	0	14
15	Southwestern Oklahoma State	11-1	257	0	17
16	North Georgia	10-1	238	0	16
17	Cedarville	15-2	235	0	9
18	Arkansas Tech	7-0	215	0	19
19	Daemen	6-1	188	0	18
20	Central Missouri	14-2	160	0	21
21	Glenville State	8-1	152	0	20
22	Gannon	7-1	95	0	25
23	Michigan Tech	10-1	89	0	NR
24	Benedict	4-0	75	0	NR
25	Emporia State	12-3	41	0	NR

Dropped out: No. 22 Tusculum (11-2); No. 23 Southern Indiana (11-4); No. 24 Truman State (12-3).

Others receiving votes: Belmont Abbey (12-2) 40; Union, TN (11-3) 40; Sioux Falls (7-2) 26; Colorado Mines (11-2) 21; Notre Dame, OH (8-2) 20; Truman State (12-3) 16; Tusculum (11-2) 13; American International (3-1) 11. Seven teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 27 combined points.