EastTexasRadio.com Powered by Ten Stations
Lion Soccer scores six in win over Patriots.
COMMERCE – Cora Welch and Karalie Morrison scored two goals for the Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team, who defeated UT-Tyler by 6-0 on Wednesday night at the Lion Soccer Field.
The Lions scored three goals in both halves and moved to an even 2-2 record in the Lone Star Conference. A&M-Commerce is 4-4-1 overall and drops UT Tyler to a comprehensive 4-4 and a conference record of 2-3.
Morrison (North Richland Hills – Colleyville Heritage) has scored seven goals in the last three matches for the Lions and opened up the scoring on Wednesday night. Skylar Sorrell (Monroe, La.) passed a ball into the box to Lydia Myers (Colbert, Wash.), who headed it towards Morrison, who kicked it in. Morrison had five of the 19 shots for the Lions.
The second goal came in the 24th minute by Sorrell. She broke away from the Patriots’ defense and put it in the back of the net. Morrison added another one in the 26th minute, scoring on a pass from Welch (Plano).
Welch entered the night with just one goal but scored two goals in four minutes on Wednesday. The first goal came on a long pass from Leslie Campuzano (Garland – Lakeview Centennial), and Welch beat the Patriots’ goalkeeper Camri Cecil. Campuzano had five shots in the match as well.
The senior midfielder’s second goal has Naomi Sink (Plano – Plano East) scored an assist. Sink’s pass landed perfectly for Welch, who once again kicked beyond the reach of Cecil.
The last goal of the match was scored by McKenna Keeley (Frisco – Memorial), the second of her freshman campaign. Morrison kicked a corner kick into the box, and Keeley headed it in.
The Lions have scored six or more goals in their last two matches at home.
The Patriots were held to just one shot in the first half but had 17 in the second half. Jen Peters (Allen) faced one shot in the first half, which she saved, while Lauren Banning (Pflugerville) held four in the second half for a combined shutout.
Victoria Turner played the first half in goal for UT Tyler, and she had three saves. Cecil had two saves in the second half. Faith Adje had four shots off the bench for the Patriots.
A&M-Commerce had the 7-2 edge in corner kicks, while UT Tyler committed 12 fouls compared to six committed by A&M-Commerce. Campuzano, Sorrell, and Kara Blasingame picked up yellow cards for the Lions.
UP NEXT
The Lions are on the road for their next two matches before returning home to face Angelo State as part of homecoming weekend. A&M-Commerce heads to Lubbock to meet Lubbock Christian on Saturday at 2:00 pm and takes on Texas Woman’s in Denton on Wednesday, October 13 at 7:00 pm.
Lion Football looks to continue the winning streak against the Cardinals.
COMMERCE – For the second week in a row, the Texas A&M University-Commerce football team faces an opponent for the first time in program history. The Lions welcome the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals to Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
WHO: Saginaw Valley State at A&M-Commerce
WHERE: Commerce | Memorial Stadium
WHEN: Saturday, October 9 at 4:00 pm
RECORDS: The Lions have won two in a row and are 3-2 on the season. The Cardinals are 2-3.
RANKINGS: A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 22 in the D2Football.com poll.
LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network – KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: https://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/tamuc/
LIVE STATS: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=353490
TICKETS: https://lionathletics.com/tickets
GAME NOTES: TAMUC (PDF)
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-COMMERCE ACCEPTS INVITATION TO SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
• The Southland Conference, following the unanimous approval of its presidential Board of Directors, has extended an invitation of membership to Texas A&M University-Commerce, the league and institution announced Tuesday morning. The university, a longstanding NCAA Division II power located an hour east of Dallas, will officially join the Southland on July 1, 2022, and begin a four-year transition to Division I at the same time.
• Touting a “Best in Class” mission, mentality, and experience, Lions’ athletics features sponsorship of 14 varsity sports, including men’s sports of football, basketball, golf, cross country, and indoor and outdoor track and field. Women’s sports include basketball, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball, cross country, and indoor and outdoor track and field.
The Lions have seen remarkable success in recent years, including winning the 2017 NCAA Division II Football National Championship, highlighting five consecutive postseason football berths since 2015. Overall, 53 A&M-Commerce athletic teams have earned NCAA postseason bids since 2015, including a record 11 teams in 2018-19. Other performance highlights include individual NCAA track and field national championships, an NCAA softball regional championship, multiple recent NCAA berths in volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball.
• In addition to its 2017 NCAA title, the Lions’ football program also won the 1972 NAIA national championship. Other national championships have included men’s basketball (NAIA 1954-55), men’s golf (NAIA 1965), and men’s tennis (NAIA 1972 and 1978). Prominent student-athletes at A&M-Commerce have included NFL stars Harvey Martin, Wade Wilson, Dwight White, and noted U.S. Olympic medalist John Carlos.
• Founded in 1889, Texas A&M-Commerce serves rural and urban Northeast Texas with distinction. It consistently delivers on a promise that founder Professor William Leonidas Mayo made more than a century ago: “No industrious, ambitious youth shall be denied an education if I can prevent it.” To this day, the institution remains committed to its core mission: “Educate. Discover. Achieve.”
• Formerly known as East Texas State University, the 2,100-acre Commerce campus provides many opportunities for students to learn and grow. The university offers more than 135-degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. In addition, a vibrant student life experience includes 14 competitive NCAA athletic teams, a thriving Greek system, and more than 120 student organizations. Programs are delivered on-site at the Commerce campus and in Dallas, Frisco, McKinney, Mesquite, and Corsicana. A robust online academic menu of classes is also a point of distinction. U.S. News & World Report has ranked several programs at Texas A&M University-Commerce among the best in the nation for 2021.
• A member of The Texas A&M University System since 1996, the institution provides quality education to an inclusive community of diverse learners as one of the most affordable universities in East Texas. Students work with world-class professors who dedicate themselves to excellence in teaching and research. In addition, the university maintains strong relationships with local industries to create relevant academic programs and valuable internship and networking opportunities that prepare career-ready graduates.
• Serving nearly 12,000 students, Texas A&M-Commerce is a leader in competency-based education and is the nation’s first institution to offer an accredited competency-based bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and organizational leadership. The agriculture program is also a national stand-out, featuring one of the only programs where students grow their experimental crops on the university’s 1,500-acre farm. In addition, A&M-Commerce upholds a 130-year legacy as an exceptional teachers’ college, graduating more than 400 certified educators in 2019. In 2020, the university opened the 113,470-square-foot Nursing and Health Sciences Building, featuring a state-of-the-art simulation hospital.
The No. 14 A&M-Commerce wins WT Fall Invitational
AMARILLO – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s golf team shot a combined score of 585 to win the West Texas A&M Fall Invitational on Tuesday afternoon. The Lions edged out the hosts, Lady Buffs, by three strokes to win the 36-hole tournament at Tascosa Country Club.
A&M-Commerce entered the day three strokes back of Angelo State. The Lions shot a 289, the lowest among all 13 teams, to win the tournament. On Tuesday, Angelo State fired a team score of 296 to finish in a tie for third place with UT Tyler.
“I am so proud of the team,” said coach Lise Malherbe. “We had four of our six golfers competing, finish inside the top-10, which is very exciting going into the last two tournaments of the fall with everyone playing well.”
“We came to Amarillo with one goal in mind, win. And that is exactly what we did.”
The Lions’ top finisher was Sophie-Charlott Hempel (Pirmasens, Germany). She shot a 73 on Tuesday to finish fourth. Michelle Becker (San Antonio – Reagan) turned in a top-five finish with a score of 72 in the second round, improving her positioning by five strokes.
Sarah Wongsinth (Udon Thani, Thailand) and Inma Ortiz Prieto (Huelva, Spain) started the day tied for 22nd place. Then, both Lions jumped 13 spots in the leaderboard to finish in a tie for ninth place. Both Wongsinth and Ortiz Prieto shot a 72 on Tuesday.
Benz Far-Arun (Bangkok, Thailand) jumped five spots on Tuesday, finishing tied for 17th with 74 in the second round. Jordan Dusckas (Highland Village – Flower Mound Marcus) competed as an individual this week and finished tied for 12th with a score of 75.
The Lady Buffs’ Alyssa Campbell won the individual title with a combined score of 141, two strokes ahead of UT Tyler’s Kaitlyn Charles, the runner-up.
UP NEXT
The Lions are off next week before competing in the Ranger Invitational in Enid, Oklahoma, hosted by Northwestern Oklahoma State on October 18-19.
| Pos. | Team | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total |
| 1 | A&M-COMMERCE | 296 | 289 | 585 |
| 2 | West Texas A&M | 296 | 292 | 588 |
| T3 | UT Tyler | 296 | 293 | 589 |
| T3 | Angelo State | 293 | 296 | 589 |
| 5 | Oklahoma Christian | 300 | 302 | 602 |
| 6 | Arkansas-Fort Smith | 310 | 300 | 610 |
| 7 | Regis | 310 | 311 | 621 |
| 8 | Western New Mexico | 312 | 310 | 622 |
| 9 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 308 | 317 | 625 |
| 10 | Western Texas CC | 315 | 315 | 630 |
| 11 | Lubbock Christian | 330 | 322 | 652 |
| 12 | UT Permian Basin | 344 | 342 | 686 |
| 13 | Adams State | 373 | 385 | 758 |
| 1 | A&M-COMMERCE | 296 | 289 | 585 |
| 4 | Sophie-Charlott Hempel | 71 | 73 | 144 |
| T5 | Michelle Becker | 73 | 72 | 145 |
| T9 | Sarah Wongsinth | 76 | 72 | 148 |
| T9 | Inma Ortiz Prieto | 76 | 72 | 148 |
| T17 | Benz Far-Arun | 76 | 74 | 150 |
INDIVIDUAL – Jordan Dusckas (T12 • 74-75 • 149)
Rashford named LSC Offensive Player of the Week.
RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce’s Maddy Rashford has been named this week’s Offensive Player of the Week by the Lone Star Conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Rashford (Placentia, Calif.) had 34 kills in two wins for A&M-Commerce this past weekend. She had 19 in Friday night’s 3-2 win against Arkansas-Fort Smith and 15 in a 3-0 win over Oklahoma Christian.
The redshirt freshman outside hitter also had two aces, two assisted blocks, and seven digs. She is eighth in the LSC with an average of 3.5 kills per set. She hit .406 this weekend.
It is the first career weekly honor for Rashford and second for the Lions this fall. Celeste Vela was named LSC Setter of the Week on September 14.
The Lions are in action on Tuesday night at East Central at 6:30 p.m. The conference schedule resumes on Friday at Midwestern State and on Saturday at Cameron.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Offensive
S-7 Christina Escamilla, UT Tyler
S-14 Kailyn Gilbreath, Angelo State
S-21 Jackie Alanis, Texas A&M-Kingsville
S-28 Mikayla Ware, UT Tyler
O-5 MADDY RASHFORD, A&M-COMMERCE
Defensive
S-7 Savannah Guzman, UT Tyler
S-14 Baleigh Allen, Angelo State
S-21 Hannah Froeschl, Lubbock Christian
S-28 Nicole Murff, Texas A&M-Kingsville
O-5 Baleigh Allen, Angelo State (2)
Setter
S-7 Kailyn Gilbreath, Angelo State
S-14 CELESTE VELA, A&M-COMMERCE
S-21 Kailyn Gilbreath, Angelo State (2)
S-28 Sadie Snay, West Texas A&M
O-5 Callie Craus, UT Tyler
The No. 14 Lions finish fourth at West/South Central Region Preview
PUEBLO, Colo. – Luis Martinez carded in a top-10 finish for the Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s golf team at the Farmers Insurance Sam Proal West/South Central Region Preview. The Lions finished fourth in the 19-team tournament with a combined team score of 563, held at Pueblo Country Club.
“The guys showed lots of good signs of what we are capable of,” said coach Ryan Hand. “We just need to learn how to finish and be better down the stretch in the closing holes.”
“Congratulations to Luis on his top ten, and we’re on to Midwestern State next week.”
The Lions shot a 285 on Tuesday to finish fourth. Oklahoma Christian won the tournament with a team score of 551 in the two-round match, eight strokes ahead of the runner-up, Midwestern State. The Eagles’ Alejandro Armijo won the individual title with a combined score of 134, edging out Fort Lewis’ Darren Edwards by one stroke.
On Tuesday, Martinez (Caracas, Venezuela) shot a 71 to finish tied for sixth, while Zach Burch (Lubbock – Cooper) finished the tournament tied for 11th place with 139. Nathan McCulloch (Edinburgh, Scotland) also finished in the top-20. However, McCulloch carded in a score of 71 in the final round to finish tied for 19th.
Tripp Wallace (Lubbock – Frenship) and Kittiphong Phaithuncharoensuk (Phuket, Thailand) improved their five strokes on Tuesday. Wallace finished tied for 41st with a score of 71 on Tuesday. Phaithuncharoensuk shot a 72 in the second round to finish in a tie for 62nd.
UP NEXT
A&M-Commerce heads over to Wichita Falls for the Midwestern State Invitational next week. The tournament is Oct 11-12 at Wichita Falls Country Club.
Celeste Vela received the Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week.
COMMERCE – Recording career-high 59 assists in Friday night’s 3-2 win over Arkansas-Fort Smith, Celeste Vela had a career weekend and received Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week.
Vela racked up 88 assists in two wins for A&M-Commerce this past weekend. She averaged 11 assists per set and totaled 22 digs, six kills, three aces, and four assisted blocks.
Her 59 assists on Friday night against Arkansas-Fort Smith are the most by any LSC setter this year. She is second in the conference with 433 assists and assists per set average of 10.1.
The Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week will be awarded by Lion Athletics each week through the remainder of the academic year.
| 2021-22 Under Armour Student-Athletes of the Week | |
| Sep. 22 | Alex Speer, Men’s Cross Country |
| Sep. 27 | Leslie Campuzano, Soccer |
| Oct. 4 | Celeste Vela, Volleyball |
The No. 14 Lions three back after first round at WT Fall Invitational
AMARILLO – All six members of the No. 14 ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s golf team competing in the West Texas A&M Fall Invitational is in the top-22 after the first round of action at the Tascosa Country Club. The Lions as a team are second and three strokes off the lead after Monday’s action.
The Lions led the 13-team field throughout the day, but one of the golfers bogeyed the 18th hole to trail Angelo State by three strokes after day one. A&M-Commerce is currently in a three-way tie with UT Tyler and West Texas A&M with a team score of 296.
“We started off the day pretty solid and just made some unnecessary mistakes as we finished the round,” said coach Lise Malherbe. “We still left ourselves in a really good position going into the final round. We are looking to go low tomorrow and just limit the unnecessary mistakes while taking advantage of the short getable holes.”
Sophie-Charlott Hempel (Pirmasens, Germany) is tied for third place after the first 18 holes, shooting a 71. Michelle Becker (San Antonio – Becker) is two strokes behind Hempel with a score of 74 and tied for 10th place.
Sarah Wongsinth (Udon Thani, Thailand), Benz Far-Arun (Bangkok, Thailand), and Inma Ortiz Prieto (Huelva, Spain) are tied for 22nd place, shooting a 76 each on Monday.
Competing as an individual, Jordan Dusckas (Highland Village – Flower Mound Marcus) carded a score of 74 in the first round. She tied for 12th place.
West Texas A&M’s Alyssa Campbell leads the 70-golfer field with a score of 65 in the first round.
| Pos. | Team | Round 1 | Total |
| 1 | Angelo State | 293 | 293 |
| T2 | A&M-COMMERCE | 296 | 296 |
| T2 | UT Tyler | 296 | 296 |
| T2 | West Texas A&M | 296 | 296 |
| 5 | Oklahoma Christian | 300 | 300 |
| 6 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 308 | 308 |
| T7 | Arkansas-Fort Smith | 310 | 310 |
| T7 | Regis | 310 | 310 |
| 9 | Western New Mexico | 312 | 312 |
| 10 | Western Texas CC | 315 | 315 |
| 11 | Lubbock Christian | 330 | 330 |
| 12 | UT Permian Basin | 344 | 344 |
| 13 | Adams State | 373 | 373 |
| T2 | A&M-COMMERCE | 296 | 296 |
| T3 | Sophie-Charlott Hempel | 71 | 71 |
| T10 | Michelle Becker | 73 | 73 |
| T22 | Sarah Wongsinth | 76 | 76 |
| T22 | Benz Far-Arun | 76 | 76 |
| T22 | Inma Ortiz Prieto | 76 | 76 |
INDIVIDUAL – Jordan Dusckas (T12 – 74)
Burch leads after 18 holes at West/South Central Preview.
PUEBLO, Colo. – Zach Burch is in sole possession of first place after the first round at the Farmers Insurance Sam Proal Invitational West/South Central Region Preview for the Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s golf team. They tied for third place after the first 18 holes at the Pueblo Country Club on Monday.
Burch (Lubbock – Cooper) shot a 66 on Monday to lead by a stroke in the 100-golfer field. He is just ahead of six golfers, who tied for second place with 67 on Monday, including Luis Martinez (Caracas, Venezuela).
A&M-Commerce compiled a team score of 278 on Monday, tied with Midwestern State and St. Mary’s. The three-team pack is four strokes back of the 18-hole leader, Oklahoma Christian. The hosts, Colorado State-Pueblo, are in second place with a score of 277, with nineteen teams competing in the tournament.
Nathan McCulloch (Edinburgh, Scotland) carded in 70 to finish tied for 20th place. Tripp Wallace (Lubbock – Frenship) and Kittiphong Phaithuncharoensuk (Phuket, Thailand) close out the Lion group with scores of 75 and 77, respectively.
| Pos. | Team | Round 1 | Total |
| 1 | Oklahoma Christian | 274 | 274 |
| 2 | Colorado State-Pueblo | 277 | 277 |
| T3 | A&M-COMMERCE | 278 | 278 |
| T3 | Midwestern State | 278 | 278 |
| T3 | St. Mary’s | 278 | 278 |
| 6 | Colorado Mesa | 280 | 280 |
| 7 | Simon Fraser | 283 | 283 |
| 8 | Colorado Christian | 284 | 284 |
| 9 | UT Tyler | 287 | 287 |
| T10 | Fort Lewis College | 288 | 288 |
| T10 | Holy Names | 288 | 288 |
| 12 | Texas A&M International | 289 | 289 |
| 13 | Colorado-Colorado Springs | 290 | 290 |
| 14 | Western New Mexico | 291 | 291 |
| 15 | Lubbock Christian | 293 | 293 |
| 16 | Saint Martin’s | 294 | 294 |
| 17 | South Dakota Mines | 299 | 299 |
| 18 | Cal State East Bay | 300 | 300 |
| 19 | Colorado Mines | 307 | 307 |
| T3 | A&M-COMMERCE | 278 | 278 |
| 1 | Zach Burch | 66 | 66 |
| T2 | Luis Martinez | 67 | 67 |
| T20 | Nathan McCulloch | 70 | 70 |
| T65 | Tripp Wallace | 72 | 72 |
| T73 | Kittiphong Phaithuncharoensuk | 77 | 77 |
Lions score program-record nine rushing touchdowns in win over Eagles.
COMMERCE – Carandal Hale, J.T. Smith, and Koby Leavatts scored at least two touchdowns each for the Texas A&M University-Commerce football team, scoring nine rushing touchdowns on their way to a 72-6 win over Fort Lauderdale on Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium. The Lions’ defense held the Eagles to 92 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers.
The lopsided win helps the Lions move back to a winning record of 3-2 overall. The Eagles are now 0-3 in the first year of their football program.
The nine rushing touchdowns by the Lions break the previous high of seven, which happened twice during the 2014 season. The Lions as a team rushed for 301 yards.
The Lion defense forced a three-and-out on the first drive of the game. However, the snap on the ensuing punt was botched. The Lion offense took the field at the doorstep of the endzone. Hale (Greenville) ran it in from the four-yard line for his first touchdown of the game.
After an interception by Dominique Ramsey (Converse – Judson) stalled the next Eagles drive. Kenedy Snell (Waxahachie) rushed in a 39-yard touchdown on the Lions’ second offensive play of the night. Ramsey totaled 130 return yards in the game, 75 in kickoff, 44 in punts, and 11 in the interception return.
Smith (Klein – Klein Oak) rushed in a touchdown from the four-yard line to give the Lions a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. Smith ran in a 25-yard touchdown in the second quarter and a 26-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He totaled 60 yards in the game.
Quarterback Jaiave Magalei (Tacoma, Wash.) just threw five passes in the game, completing three, but did have one interception, which Fort Lauderdale’s Elijah Volitore returned for a 68-yard touchdown, the only points on the night for the Eagles. Magalei rushed in a one-yard touchdown himself in the second quarter.
Leavitt (Cy Falls) had two touchdowns in the second half, the first was a one-yard run, and the second was a 23-yard run.
Austin Smith (Buford, Ga.) recovered a fumble that Bryson Stewart (Missouri City – Ridge Point) forced near the goal line and ran it in for a three-yard touchdown.
Jake Viquez (Rockwall) converted a 27-yard field goal to round out the scoring for the Lions. He went 7 for 8 in point-after attempts, while Emmanuel Adagbon (Mesquite) went a perfect 2 for 2.
Defensively, Stewart had five tackles for loss, falling 0.5 tackles away from tying the program record. He had a sack, as did Justice Williams (Detroit, Mich.), and Anthony Hayes (Panama City, Fla.) had two. Hayes also forced a fumble.
A total of 59 players appeared in the game for A&M-Commerce.
UP NEXT
A&M-Commerce is amid a three-game homestand and hosts Saginaw Valley State next Saturday, October 9, at 4:00 pm.
Late penalty kick drops Lions at Lady Buffs.
CANYON – A penalty kick scored in the 85th minute by No. 21 ranked West Texas A&M broke the tie in the Lady Buffs 3-2 win over the Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team on Saturday afternoon at The Pitch. Karalie Morrison scored both goals for the Lions.
West Texas A&M took the lead in the 18th minute on Reagan Matacale’s goal, which Emily Avila assisted. Matacale had three shots on goal, while Avila had four shots.
Morrison (North Richland Hills – Colleyville Heritage) tied the match in the 53rd minute on an assist by Skylar Sorrell (Monroe, La.). Morrison had four shots for the Lions, including three on goal.
The Lady Buffs retook the lead in the 55th minute, with Asha James scoring on an assist from Maliyah Mendoza.
In the 83rd minute, Morrison scored an assisted goal to tie it again, but Avila converted the penalty kick in the 85th minute to take the lead.
The Lady Buffs put up 24 shots, including 13 on goal. The Lions had 14 shots, six on goal. Jen Peters (Allen) made ten saves, while West Texas A&M’s Reagan Heelan made six saves.
Sorrell and Cora Welch (Plano) were second on the team with three shots each. The Lions drop to 3-4-1 on the season and 1-2 in Lone Star Conference, while the Lady Buffs are 2-1 and 6-2 overall.
UP NEXT
A&M-Commerce hosts UT Tyler on Wednesday at 7:00 pm before heading back on the road at Lubbock Christian on Saturday, October 9 at 2:00 pm.
Lion Volleyball cruises as they sweep over Oklahoma Christian.
COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team moved to a .500 record in the Lone Star Conference with a convincing 3-0 win over Oklahoma Christian on Saturday at the Field House. The Lions took the three sets by scores of 25-17, 25-16, and 25-8, respectively. The eight points allowed in the third set are the fewest this season.
The Lions jumped out to an early 6-2 lead to force an early timeout by the Eagles, with Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.) recording four kills during that stretch. She had five kills in the set, Maddy Rashford (Placentia, Calif.) had four kills.
A kill by Rashford and two straight kills by Taryn Cast (Peaster) helped the Lions lead 18-10, and Maiaya Dickie (Huntsville) closed out the first set with a kill to give A&M-Commerce a 25-17 win in the first set.
A&M-Commerce forced an early timeout in the second set, leading 10-2 on a kill by Dickie. They cruised to a 25-16 win in the second set, winning the set on a kill by Rashford.
The Lions led 8-5 to start the third set but took command in the set, winning 25-8. They won 14 of the last 15 points in the set and won the match on a kill by Essence Allen (Longview – Tatum).
Rashford led the team with 15 kills, Andersen had 10, and Dickie had six. Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) recorded 29 assists, two aces, two assisted blocks, and nine digs. Dickie racked up seven assisted blocks, and Andersen had six assisted blocks.
Allen had 14 digs, Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo.) had 11, and Riley Davidson had nine. Davidson also had two aces.
Before the match, the Lions honored the 1987 Volleyball team and coach Kathy Goodlett, who will be officially inducted into the Lion Athletics Hall of Fame this spring.
UP NEXT
The Lions have three matches in the next seven days, all on the road. A&M-Commerce takes on East Central on Tuesday at 6:00 pm, Midwestern State on Friday at 6:00 pm, and Cameron on Saturday, October 9 at 2:00 pm.
Davidson passes 1,000 career digs mark in 3-2 win over Arkansas-Fort Smith.
COMMERCE – Friday night’s match at the Field House went the distance between the Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team and Arkansas-Fort Smith. The A&M-Commerce Lions prevailed 15-5 in the deciding set.
With 12 digs on Friday night, Riley Davidson (Commerce) passed the 1,000 career digs mark, with all 1,009 coming for the Lions. Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) picked up 59 assists on Friday, which is her career-high, while Maddy Rashford (Placentia, Calif.) recorded 19 kills.
“Everything that we focused on coming into the match, we did tonight,” said coach Craig Case. We went up against an excellent team led by a legendary coach, and to beat them in five is a great sign, and we can definitely build off that. I am really proud of our team with how they responded in the fifth set.”
Arkansas-Fort Smith claimed the first set by a score of 25-23. A&M-Commerce was up early in the set, 7-2, and maintained a 19-13 lead. However, Arkansas won four of the following five points to make it 20-17 and closed the set out on a 4-1 run. The Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions recorded a hitting percentage of .171 on Friday night and fell to 6-7 on the season, 1-4 in Lone Star Conference play.
The second set was dominated by A&M-Commerce early on, but Arkansas-Fort Smith tied it at 14. The A&M-Commerce Lions pulled away in the set with a 3-0 run to take a 21-17 lead. They won the set, 25-20 on a kill by Rashford.
The A&M-Commerce Lions led 15-12 in the third set and closed it out on a 10-0 run to win the set, 25-12. However, the Lions took the set on two-straight attacking errors. They moved to 3-6 on the season overall and 2-3 in conference play.
Looking to win its second match in a row, A&M-Commerce led 19-12 in the fourth set and was four points away from winning the game in four, but Arkansas-Fort Smith stormed back with an 8-0 run. The Lions recovered to fight off the first set point but fell 26-24 to go the distance.
In the fifth set, the Lions led wire-to-wire and opened up a 7-1 lead at the midway point. They claimed their second-straight win with a 15-5 fifth set win on a kill by Rashford.
Nicki Gonelli (Round Rock – Stony Point), Essence Allen (Longview – Tatum), and Maiya Dickie (Huntsville) had double-digit kills to join Rashford. Gonelli had 17, Allen had 12, and Dickie had 12.
Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo.) played as the libero and pulled up 20 digs and four aces. Ashley Pennington (Frisco – Liberty) had 17 digs, Vela had 13, Allen had 11, and Davidson had 12.
As a team, A&M-Commerce hit .241 in the match.
UP NEXT
The Lions remain home to host Oklahoma Christian on Saturday at 1:30 pm. The initially scheduled time of 1:00 pm has been pushed back to 1:30 pm.
Campa, Matthews, and Brown run personal-best for Lions in Arkansas.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Alondra Campa ran a personal-best time of 20:30.3 in the five-kilometer race for the Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s cross country team at the Chile Pepper Festival hosted by the University of Arkansas on its Agri Park on Friday afternoon.
Campa (Kaufman) finished just ahead of fellow freshman Katelyn Matthews (Burleson – Mansfield Legacy), who clocked in a time of 20:31.0, which was also her personal best. Unfortunately, Campa and Matthews placed 51st and 52nd, respectively.
Hannah Keil (Korschenbroich, Germany) recorded a time of 21:11.5 in her first collegiate race and finished third among A&M-Commerce runners, 84th overall. Edith Branch (Denton – Lake Dallas) timed 21:35.2, Evelyn Brown (Paris) raced to a personal best time of 21:36.3, and Yenifer Martinez (Irving – Nimitz) finished sixth on the team with a time of 21:40.0.
Hastings College won the team title with 90 points, edging out Oklahoma Christian by one point. The Eagles’ Kenya Bailey won the race with a time of 17:55.6. The Lions finished 16th in the 30-team field.
UP NEXT