Two top-three teams in the LSC battle it out in Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce football team is in the home stretch of its schedule, returning home to host UT Permian Basin on Saturday at 4:00 pm for North Texas Educators Day presented by Alliance Bank. The Lions and the Falcons are tied for the second-best record in the Lone Star Conference with three games to go.

WHO: UT Permian Basin at A&M-Commerce
WHERE: Commerce | Memorial Stadium
WHEN: Saturday, October 30 at 4:00 pm
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 5-3 overall and 3-1 in LSC play. UT Permian Basin is also 3-1 in conference play and 5-2 overall.
RANKINGS: Neither team is ranked going into this week.

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=353492
TICKETS: http://www.lionathletics.com/tickets
GAME NOTES: TAMUC (PDF) | UTPB (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, and 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, consistently delivering its founder’s promise. Professor William Leonidas Mayo promised 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.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE MEMBERS ON JULY 1, 2022 – AS OF SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

Institution	Offers Football?
A&M-COMMERCE	YES
Houston Baptist	Yes
Incarnate Word	Yes
McNeese State	Yes
New Orleans	No
Nicholls State	Yes
Northwestern State	Yes
Southeastern Louisiana	Yes
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi	No

St. Mary’s sinks Lion soccer, 4-3 in an overtime heartbreaker.

COMMERCE – Trailing 2-0 at halftime at a windy Lion Soccer Field, the St. Mary’s Rattlers charged back to force overtime and scored the golden goal in double overtime to beat the Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team, 4-3, on Wednesday night. 

With strong winds being a factor all day, the Lions won the pre-match coin toss and elected to attack against the wind in the first half. As a result, five of the seven goals scored came against the wind on the night. 

The Lions scored two goals in the first seven minutes, both goals coming against the wind. 

In the fifth minute, the Rattlers took a goal kick headed by Hailey Griffin (Trophy Club – Byron Nelson) towards Cora Welch (Plano), who sailed towards the goal and opened up the scoring. 

Karalie Morrison (North Richland Hills – Colleyville Heritage) scored her 10th goal in the eighth minute to give the Lions a 2-0 lead. Morrison went in for a turnover, stole the ball away, and took it home for the goal. 

The Rattlers outshot the Lions, 9-5 in the first half. However, the Lions did outshoot the Rattlers, 21-17 in the match. 

In the second half, the Rattlers cut it to 2-1 in the 49th minute. Eliza Morrison passed it towards Juni Ejere, who kicked it in the back of the net. 

Leslie Campuzano (Garland – Lakeview Centennial) made it a 3-1 lead for the Lions with a goal in the 59th minute, her eighth of the season. The senior forward took a shot just outside the box. That was the first goal of the night with the wind. 

The Rattlers tied the match in ten minutes. Miranda Narvaez scored on a cross pass from Alexis Garcia, and Megan Copeland passed the Lion defense, scoring the equalizing goal on a pass from Narvaez. 

The two teams combined for six goals and 35 shots in the first 90 minutes, but neither team could walk away with the win in regulation. 

In the first overtime period, the Lions had three shots, including Welch’s goal, which Rebecca Difronzo saved, who had five saves in the match. 

The Refs awarded the Rattlers a free kick about 23 yards out after a handball called on the Lions in the second overtime. Copeland took the free-kick, which went directly into the back of the net to give the Rattlers three critical points in the conference standings. 

The Lions, who drop to 6-7-2 on the season and 4-5-1 in Lone Star Conference play, have dropped two matches in a row at home. St. Mary’s is 8-5-2 overall and 5-3-2 in LSC matches. With three games left in the regular season, the Lions tied for eighth place with 13 points. 

Welch had seven shots in the match, while Campuzano and Morrison had three each. Welch had four shots on goal, playing as an attacking midfielder. Christina Hernandez (Denison) had two shots off the bench. 

Copeland led St. Mary’s with five shots. Lauren Banning (Pflugerville) made four saves in the match, her third consecutive start. Griffin made her first career start for the Lions.

UP NEXT

The Lions hit the road for their next two matches before returning home for Senior Day next weekend. A&M-Commerce faces Eastern New Mexico on Saturday at noon central time and is at Texas A&M International on Wednesday, November 3 at 3:00 pm.

A&M-Commerce Women’s Basketball tabbed second in preseason LSC poll.

RICHARDSON – After finishing as the runner-up in the Lone Star Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament for two straight seasons, the Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team is ranked second in the 2021-22 preseason poll. 

The Lions have a remarkable 42-14 record over the last two seasons and lost just three conference matchups during that span. In the shortened season last spring, the Lions went 14-4 and advanced to the NCAA South Central Regional Semifinal after an 11-2 record in conference play.  

Throughout the conference, LSC head coaches, sports information directors, and various media representatives comprise the voting committee for the LSC’s preseason poll. 

Returning for the Lions this season are three players who have been minted as All-Americans by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association during their time in Commerce – DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.), Dyani Robinson (Cy Creek), and Chania Wright (DeSoto). Kernal and Robinson were first-team All-LSC selections in 2020-21, while Wright and Juliana Louis (Long Beach, Calif.) were third-team all-LSC picks. 

A&M-Commerce retains four of its five primary starters from last season and all six of its top scorers in the Lions’ final season in the Lone Star Conference and NCAA Division II.  

Notable additions to the roster this year include sophomore transfers Mia Deck (Frisco – Lone Star) from the University of New Orleans and Olivia Russell (Auburn Hills, Mich.) from Macomb Community College, as well as freshmen Victoria Hinton (Woodbridge, Va.), Perina Leime (Melbourne, Australia), and Laila Lawrence (Lewisville). 

The Lions go up against three NCAA Division I teams in the preseason, beginning with Baylor on Wednesday and SMU on Monday, at 7:00 pm, and Houston on Friday, November 5, at 6:00 pm. 

The Lions’ first regular-season contest comes on November 12 against Colorado State-Pueblo, part of a multi-team event hosted by Colorado Christian. 

A&M-Commerce’s first home game is against Arkansas-Monticello on November 27 at 5:00 pm. That game is part of Lion HoopsGiving presented by Best Western Plus. 

Season and individual tickets are now on sale. You can find more information about watching the Lions in person at the Field House at lionathletics.com/tickets. 

2021-22 LSC Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
Rank	School	1st	Total Points
1.	Lubbock Christian	40	741
2.	A&M-COMMERCE	3	674
3.	West Texas A&M		647
4.	Cameron		590
5.	Midwestern State		560
6.	Texas A&M International		490
7.	St. Mary’s		411
8.	Oklahoma Christian		397
9.	St. Edward’s		384
10.	Texas A&M-Kingsville		368
11.	Texas Woman’s		309
12.	UT-Permian Basin		249
13.	Eastern New Mexico		241
14.	UAFS		228
15.	Angelo State		194
16.	UT-Tyler	1	132
17.	Western New Mexico		117

Lion Volleyball coasts to a 3-0 win over the Savage Storm

COMMERCE – In a match that lasted less than an hour and 20 minutes, the Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball was on cruise control in a 3-0 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State in a midweek non-conference match in the Field House on Tuesday night. 

The Lions took a tight first set, 25-23, and coasted to 25-16 and 25-12 wins in the following two sets, respectively. 

Nicki Gonelli (Round Rock – Stony Point) had 18 kills without an error, which are the second-most kills in an NCAA Division II match this year and tied for most kills in a three-set match by a Lone Star Conference player this year. 

The Lions improve to 10-8 on the year overall and drop the Savage Storm to a record of 7-14. 

The Savage Storm started the match with the early edge in the first set, leading 17-12. However, A&M-Commerce started its comeback by pulling to within two at 21-19 on a kill by Gonelli. 

Southeastern Oklahoma State led 23-21 when Lions coach Craig Case used a timeout. The Lions won four straight points out of the timeout to win the set. Three of the four points for the Lions came via errors from the Savage Storm. 

Trailing 6-5 early in the set, the Lions went on a 7-1 run to take control of the second set. Gonelli had four kills during that stretch, and the Lions won, 25-16 on an attacking error. A&M-Commerce hit .548 in the second set. 

The Lions started the third set leading 5-1 on an ace by Aislynn Shore (Hockley – Frassati Catholic) and increased to 17-6 on an assisted block by Taryn Cast (Peaster), and Niki Gonelli. 

A&M-Commerce won its 10th match on a 3-0 run for the season, winning the set on a kill by Reese Fetty (Farmersville). 

Gonelli hit .621, Cast hit .417 for 11 kills, and the Lions hit .369 as a team. 

Aiding her hitters, Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) had 32 assists and nine digs as well. Lyric Hebert, who was named Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week earlier in the day, had 14 digs on the night.

 The Lions had 16 assisted blocks in the match. Cast had six of them. Essence Allen (Longview – Tatum), Maddy Rashford (Placentia, Calif.), Karena Tipton (Midlothian – Heritage), and Fetty had two each.

UP NEXT

The Lions host two matches this weekend, including the annual Pink Out match on Friday at 6:00 pm against DBU, and all fans are encouraged to wear pink to support breast cancer awareness. In addition, A&M-Commerce hosts Texas Woman’s on Saturday at 1:00 pm.

 

Lion men’s basketball picked eighth in preseason LSC poll.

RICHARDSON – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team is eighth in the preseason Lone Star Conference poll, released by the conference as part of the Online Media Day on Tuesday afternoon. 

The league’s preseason polls reflect the opinions of LSC head coaches, sports information directors, and various media representatives throughout the conference. 

A&M-Commerce retains seven of its top nine contributors from last season in terms of minutes played. All-LSC selections Augustine Ene (Carrollton – Creekview) and Demarcus Demonia (Fort Washington, Md.) return to Commerce for their senior and junior seasons, respectively. A total of 11 Lions return from last season’s roster, including senior Rodney Brown (Beaumont – West Brook). 

The Lions welcome highly touted transfers, Jairus Roberson (Northwestern State), Alphonso Willis (Young Harris College), and Clashon Gaffney (Tarleton), as well as true freshman Monyae Davis (Fort Worth – Young Men’s Leadership Academy). They enter their final season in NCAA Division II and the LSC.  

The Lions are kicking off their regular season at home against Fort Valley State on November 20. Then, A&M-Commerce faces UTSA in San Antonio on November 15 in its exhibition opener. 

Season tickets are now on sale, and you can find more information at LionAthletics.com/Tickets.

2021-22 LSC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
Rank	School	1st Place Votes	Total Points
1.	Lubbock Christian	26	711
2.	West Texas A&M	13	681
3.	DBU	2	623
4.	Texas A&M-Kingsville	1	617
5.	St. Edward’s	1	561
6.	Midwestern State		488
7.	Angelo State		466
8.	A&M-COMMERCE		462
9.	UT-Tyler	1	377
10.	UT-Permian Basin		318
11.	UAFS		305
12.	St. Mary’s		293
13.	Oklahoma Christian		252
14.	Eastern New Mexico		205
15.	Cameron		138
16.	Texas A&M International		132
17.	Western New Mexico		103

The No. 11 Lion women’s golf closes out the fall with a sixth-place finish at Rollins.

ORLANDO, Fla. – On the final day of its fall season, the No. 11 ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s golf team stormed up the leaderboard to finish in a tie for sixth place at the Rollins Legend Invitational hosted at The Country Club of Orlando this week. 

The Lions wrapped up their fall season this week with the completion of the Rollins Legend Invitational. Under the direction of first-year coach Lise Malherbe, the Lions won two of the four tournaments this fall. 

“Glad to have made a moved up the leaderboard today,” said Malherbe. “We had a few more putts drop today than the other two rounds, and we are happy to end the fall season on a good note.” 

The Lions started the day in ninth place and jumped three spots, tied for the most improved positioning on the second day in the 12-team field. The Lions posted a score of 300 on Tuesday, the third-lowest among all teams. DBU won the team title with a total score of 888, two strokes ahead of Lynn, who finished second with a score of 304. 

Three Lions improved their score on the final round to rise on the leaderboard. On Tuesday, Sophie-Charlott Hempel (Pirmasens, Germany) shot a 74 to finish in a tie for 11th place. Sarah Wongsinth (Udon Thani, Thailand) carded a 71 in the final eight strokes, better than her score in the second round. Wongsinth finished in a tie for 22nd place. 

Jordan Dusckas (Highland Village – Flower Mound Marcus) finished tied for 32nd place with a score of 76 on Tuesday, Michelle Becker (San Antonio – Reagan) placed in a tie for 48th place with a score of 82. Inma Ortiz Prieto (Huelva, Spain) also finished in a tie for 48th place with 79 to finish. 

Lynn University’s Sara Ericsson won the tournament by one stroke, despite shooting a two-over 74 on Tuesday. She had a combined score of 215.

Pos.	Team	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
1	DBU	295	298	295	888
2	Lynn	295	291	304	890
3	Nova Southeastern	295	292	307	894
4	Barry	299	312	288	899
5	Lee	304	292	307	903
T6	A&M-COMMERCE	309	305	300	914
T6	Rollins	303	308	303	914
T6	Florida Southern	309	294	311	914
9	Wingate	305	304	315	924
10	Saint Leo	311	313	302	926
11	Lander	307	314	315	936
12	North Georgia	321	319	315	955

 

T6	A&M-COMMERCE	309	305	300	914
T11	Sophie-Charlott Hempel	74	75	74	223
T22	Sarah Wongsinth	78	79	71	228
T32	Jordan Dusckas	80	75	76	231
T48	Michelle Becker	79	76	82	237
T48	Inma Ortiz Prieto	78	80	79	237

Hebert earns the LSC Defensive Player of the Week award

RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball standout Lyric Hebert has been named this week’s Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. 

Hebert (Arvada, Colo.) played as the libero in Friday night’s win for the Lions on the road at No. 4 Angelo State. Hebert had 26 digs in the five-set match and held the Rambelles hitting percentage of .083 in their first home loss since 2018. 

She had a total of 49 digs on an average of 4.9 digs per set this past weekend. She is seventh in the LSC, with an average of 4.66 digs per set. Although Hebert had three service aces this past weekend, she is 10th in the LSC with an average of 0.33 aces per set. 

UP NEXT

The Lions host Southeastern Oklahoma State on Tuesday at 6:00 pm. This weekend, DBU comes to Commerce on Friday at 6:00 pm and Texas Woman’s on Saturday at 1:00 pm.

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
O-12      Torrey Miller, West Texas A&M
O-19      Kailyn Gilbreath, Angelo State (2)
O-26      Kailyn Gilbreath, Angelo State (3)

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)
O-12      Chloe Patton, Angelo State
O-19      Alissa Tolbert, St. Mary’s
O-26      Lyric Hebert, A&M-COMMERCE

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
O-12      Jaedyn Woolley, Angelo State
O-19      Celeste Vela, A&M-COMMERCE (2)
O-26      Chloe Alderson, UAFS

The start time of the Wednesday soccer match moved to 5:00 pm.

COMMERCE – To avoid the threat of inclement weather on Wednesday afternoon, the Lone Star Conference women’s soccer match between Texas A&M University-Commerce and St. Mary’s University will now kick off at 5:00 pm Wednesday, October 27.

It is a crucial match in the LSC standings, as StMU enters the day with 14 points in the conference standings, and TAMUC enters with 13. Only three points separate fifth through 11th in the LSC standings entering the mid-week matches.

For tickets, live stats, and video links, go to LionAthletics.com.

Lion Women’s Golf in ninth after day one at Rollins Legends Invitational

ORLANDO, Fla. – Going up against nine other teams ranked in the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Top-25 at The Country Club of Orlando in the Rollins Legend Invitational, the No.11 ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s golf team is in ninth place after Monday’s action. 

Battling a lengthy weather delay and stoppages due to low daylight, the Lions posted a team score of 614 in the first two rounds. Lynn University, the top-ranked team in the country, leads the 12-team field with a score of 586 on Monday.

“It was a disappointing day where we left a lot of shots out there. With the weather delay, it was a long day, and the team had to really focus to get back to the clubhouse. We are looking to rebound tomorrow and make a move up the leaderboard,” said coach Lise Malherbe. 

Sophie-Charlott Hempel (Pirmasens, Germany) is in a tie for 17th place with a score of 149 (74-75) after day one. Michelle Becker (San Antonio – Reagan) is tied for 32nd place, shooting a 79 in the first round and 76 in the second for a combined score of 155. Jordan Dusckas (Highland Village – Flower Mound Marcus) improved her score by five strokes in the second round to finish the day in a tie for 32nd place with a score of 155 (80-75). 

The Lions’ top-seed Sarah Wongsinth (Udon Thani, Thailand) tied for 45th place with a score of 157 (78-79), and Inma Ortiz Prieto (Huelva, Spain) posted a two-round score of 158 (78-80) to finish tied for 49th place. 

Lynn’s Sara Ericsson has a three-stroke lead on the 69-golfer field with a first-day score of 141.

Pos.	Team	Round 1	Round 2	Total
1	Lynn	295	291	586
2	Nova Southeastern	295	292	587
3	DBU	295	298	593
4	Lee	304	292	596
5	Florida Southern	309	294	603
6	Wingate	305	304	609
T7	Rollins	303	308	611
T7	Barry	299	312	611
9	A&M-COMMERCE	309	305	614
10	Lander	307	314	621
11	Saint Leo	311	313	624
12	North Georgia	321	319	640

 

9	A&M-COMMERCE	309	305	614
T17	Sophie-Charlott Hempel	74	75	149
T32	Michelle Becker	79	76	155
T32	Jordan Dusckas	80	75	155
T45	Sarah Wongsinth	78	79	157
T49	Inma Ortiz Prieto	78	80	158

Lion Football sweeps weekly LSC awards.

RICHARDSON – The Texas A&M University-Commerce football team has swept this week’s Lone Star Conference awards, as announced on Monday afternoon. 

Miklo Smalls (Plano East) won the offensive award, Dee Walker (Moultrie, Ga.) earned the nod for the weekly defensive award, and Dominique Ramsey (Converse – Judson) won the special teams award this week. 

Smalls threw for 21 completions on Saturday at West Texas A&M. He had 186 passing yards on a 55 percent completion percentage. He also rushed in a nine-yard touchdown, the only touchdown scored by either team. 

Walker totaled nine tackles in Saturday’s 15-3 win at West Texas A&M. Walker was part of the defensive unit that forced five takeaways, and he had a tackle for loss. 

Ramsey returned four punts for 37 yards on Saturday at West Texas A&M. He also had a kickoff return for 33 yards. Ramsey also had an interception in the fourth quarter on Saturday, in which he returned for 24 yards to seal the 15-3 win. He leads the LSC with 323 punt return yards and 17 yards per punt return. 

It is the fifth weekly award for Smalls, who won it four times in 2019, first for Walker, and the fourth weekly award for Ramsey. This year, five Lions have received the award, as Jake Viquez and Xavier Morris received the weekly award in week one. 

WEEKLY AWARDS
Offensive
S-6          CJ Odom, Angelo State
S-13       Clayton Roberts, UT-Permian Basin
S-20       Dillon Sterling-Cole, Midwestern State
S-27       Kylan Harrison, Midwestern State
O-4         Hagen Garvin, Angelo State
O-11      Justin Manyweather, Eastern New Mexico
O-18      Zach Bronkhorst, Angelo State
O-25      Miklo Smalls, A&M-Commerce

Defensive
S-6          Xavier Morris, A&M-Commerce
S-13       Dylon Davis, Midwestern State
S-20       Jacob Clarkson, Texas A&M-Kingsville
S-27       Josh Quinton, Angelo State
O-4         Eric Rascoe, Angelo State
O-11      JT Cavender, West Texas A&M
O-18      Tobias Harris, West Texas A&M
O-25      Dee Walker, A&M-Commerce

Special Teams
S-6          Jake Viquez, A&M-Commerce
S-13       Ritse Vaes, Midwestern State
S-20       Fernando Piedra, Midwestern State
S-27       Carson Roberts, UT-Permian Basin
O-4         Andrew Pitts, Angelo State
O-11      Gage Urias, West Texas A&M
O-18      Cason Polivoda, West Texas A&M
O-25      Dominique Ramsey, A&M-Commerce

Hebert received Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week.

COMMERCE – They named Texas A&M University-Commerce libero Lyric Hebert Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week. 

Hebert (Arvada, Colo.) played as the libero in Friday night’s win for the Lions on the road at No. 4 Angelo State. Hebert had 26 digs in the five-set match and held the Rambelles a hitting percentage of .083 in their first home loss since 2018. 

The junior had a total of 49 digs on an average of 4.9 digs per set this past weekend. She is seventh in the LSC, with an average of 4.66 digs per set. Although Hebert had three service aces this past weekend, she is 10th in the LSC with an average of 0.33 aces per set. 

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
Oct. 11	Cora Welch, Soccer
Oct. 18	Dominique Ramsey, Football
Oct. 25	Lyric Hebert, Volleyball

 

Lion Football forces five takeaways en route to a 15-3 win over West Texas A&M.

CANYON – Behind a safety, a fumble recovery, two interceptions, a muffed punt recovery, and a blocked punt from its defense, the Texas A&M University-Commerce football team handed West Texas A&M a 15-3 loss at Buffalo Stadium on Saturday night. 

For the fourth game in a row, the Lion defense kept its opponent under 250 yards, allowing 225 yards on Saturday night. 

The Lions improve to 5-3 on the season and 3-1 in Lone Star Conference action with three conference contests remaining. The loss drops the Buffaloes to 4-4 on the season and 3-2 in LSC play. 

In the first half, the Lions allowed less than 100 yards of offense, Celestin Haba (Columbia, S.C.) recovered a fumble, and a punt blocked by J.T. Smith (Klein Oak). As a result, the Lion defense secured the first points of the night at the 7:48 mark of the first quarter. 

The Buffaloes’ quarterback, Nick Gerber, threw an incomplete pass from the end zone, which was ruled as intentional grounding by the officials, thus resulting in a safety. 

The Lion offense’s first chance for six points came up short on its first drive of the night due to a fumble right at the goal line. The Buffaloes took over just outside their end zone and ended the drive on the safety. 

In the first half, Jake Viquez (Rockwall) went 1 for 3 in three field-goal attempts but drilled a 40-yard kick in the first quarter to give the Lions a 5-0 lead. Neither team scored in the second quarter, and the Lions took a 5-0 lead into the locker room.   

On their first drive of the second half, the Lions received the ball at their 40-yard line. The Lions marched down the field for a touchdown. Miklo Smalls (Plano East) connected to Matt Childers (Henderson) twice on the drive for 19 yards, Chance Cooper (Leander – Rouse) caught a pass for 10 yards, and Carandal Hale (Greenville) rushed for two yards on the drive to set up the Lions inside the Buffaloes’ 10-yard line. 

Smalls rushed to the right side for a touchdown on the second and fourth from the nine-yard line, his third rushing touchdown of the season. Smalls threw for 186 yards in the air on 21 for 38 passing and threw an interception as well. 

Viquez bounced back from his two misses in the first half and gave the Lions a 15-3 lead going into the fourth quarter with a 42-yard field goal in the Lions’ last drive of the third quarter. 

A drive that started on its 36-yard line after the field goal by Viquez, West Texas A&M made its way into Lion territory, but an interception by D’Angelo Ellis (Cy Ridge) stalled the drive with seven minutes and 50 seconds left in the game. 

After a punt by the Lions, the Buffaloes started their next drive with 3:54 left in the game and made it into A&M-Commerce territory, but an interception by Dominique Ramsey (Converse – Judson) ended the last chance to score for the Buffaloes. 

A&M-Commerce kneeled it out for its second win in a row.  

In the running game, Hale had 31 of the 104 rushing yards for the Lions. E.J. Thompson (Cy Ranch) rushed for 28 yards, and Smith netted 24. 

Childers led the way with seven catches for 76 yards. Andrew Armstrong (Dallas – Bishop Dunne) had four receptions for 36 yards. 

Defensively, Dee Walker had eight solo tackles, and two assisted for nine total tackles, one of which was for a loss. Five Lions had five tackles, while Jaylon Hodge (Houston – Fort Bend Travis) had a sack.

It is the first time that the Lions have won a game by a score of 15-3 and the first time they have scored exactly 15 points in a game since 2009 against Southwest Oklahoma State.

 UP NEXT

The Lions return home to face UT-Permian Basin on Saturday, October 30 at 4:00 pm. A&M-Commerce will celebrate its alumni from the education department during the game as part of North Texas Educators Day presented by Alliance Bank. 

Campuzano and Storey lead Lion Soccer to shutout win over Hilltoppers.

AUSTIN – Leslie Campuzano and Melissa Storey scored for the Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team, which defeated St. Edward’s by 2-0 at the Lewis-Chen Family Field on Saturday. 

The win helps the Lion improve to 4-4-1 in Lone Star Conference play with four matches to go, and they are 6-6-2 overall. The Hilltoppers drop to 7-5-2 overall and 5-3-1 in LSC play. 

A&M-Commerce is in a tie for an eighth-place going into the last four conference matches. It was the Lions’ fifth shutout of the season. 

Campuzano (Garland – Lakeview Centennial) scored in the 30th minute to give the Lions the early lead. The senior forward’s seventh goal of the season was the only shot on goal seen by either goalkeeper in the first half. 

The Lion’s defense grabbed the early lead and settled and allowed just five shots all match. Lauren Banning (Pflugerville) made her second-consecutive start and stopped all four shots she saw in the game to give the Lions the shutout and her first winning decision of the year. 

Storey (Tyne and Wear, England) provided some cushion for the Lions with a goal in the 65th minute, her second of the season, to give the Lions a 2-0 lead. 

A&M-Commerce posted 12 shots throughout the evening, including five on goal. St. Edward’s Abby Carlson saved three. Campuzano had four of the 12 shots, and two went on goal. 

All five of the shots for the Hilltoppers came in the second half. They also had six corner kicks in the second half, but they converted none for a goal. 

Christina Hernandez (Denison) had two shots in 24 minutes of action off the bench. 

UP NEXT

The Lions are home to face St. Mary’s on Wednesday at 3:00 pm. That match is part of the “It’s On US” day on campus. 

LCU rallies to down Lion Volleyball in five

LUBBOCK, Texas – Going the distance in back-to-back nights on the road against two teams atop the Lone Star Conference standings, the Texas A&M University-Commerce could not repeat Friday night’s feat. Instead, they fell 3-2 to Lubbock Christian at Rip Griffin Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Chaparrals took the first set by a score of 26-24, and the Lions took the following sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-20, respectively. The hosts won the match by taking the fourth set with a 25-19 and a commanding 15-4 win in the fifth set. They dropped the Lions to a 9-8 overall and 8-4 in LSC matches. Lubbock Christian improved to 13-6 overall and 9-2 in LSC play. 

Four Lions had double-digit kills. Maddy Rashford (Placentia, Calif.) had 19, Essence Allen (Longview – Tatum) had 15 kills and 20 digs, Taryn Cast (Peaster) had 13 kills, and Maiya Dickie (Huntsville) had 16 kills and five of the 14 assisted blocks for the Lions. 

On the defensive side, Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo.) had 26 digs, Allen had 20, Ashley Pennington (Frisco – Liberty) had 15, Riley Davidson (Commerce) had 12, and Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) had 11. 

Allen and Vela had double-doubles in the second-consecutive match. Allen had 15 kills and 20 digs, while Vela had 63 assists, which is a career-high, and 11 digs. 

Neither team was able to build a big lead in the first set. The Lions led 18-16 on a kill by Rashford, forcing the Chaparrals to use a timeout. Lubbock Christian won three of the four points out of the timeout to tie it at 19. 

An attacking error by the Lions gave the Chaparrals two chances to take the first set, but kills by Dickie and Rashford helped the Lions tie the set at 24. The Chaparrals took the set, 26-24 on two straight A&M-Commerce errors. 

The Lions led 5-0 to start the second set on two kills by Andersen, a kill by Allen, and two errors by Lubbock Christian. However, A&M-Commerce did not trail in the set. They led by as much as nine and closed out the 25-21 on an attacking error. 

The third set was similar to the second, with the Lions, who did not trail in the third frame. Hitting .364 as a team in the third set, the Lions took a 2-1 lead with a 25-20 third set win on a kill by Cast. 

The Lions had a 6-2 lead in the fourth set on an assisted block by Andersen and Dickie. The Lion continued to lead till the set’s midpoint at 14-9 on a kill by Cast. A 9-1 run by the Chaparells allowed them to get back in the match and take their first lead since the first set. The Lions had five attacking errors in that stretch. 

After taking the lead in the fourth set, Lubbock Christian kept on the charge and closed the set out on a 16-5 run. Jenna Lyons delivered the set-winning kill for the Chaparrals, 25-19. 

A&M-Commerce had to play five-set matches against two teams atop the LSC standings in back-to-back nights. After beating No. 4 Angelo State on Friday night, the Lions could not muster up a rally in the fifth set on Saturday. 

The two teams were tied at two to start the deciding set before the Chaparrals took command of the match by going on a 10-1 scoring run and closed out the fifth set, 15-4. 

UP NEXT

The Lions are home for the next four matches before heading back on the road to close out the regular season. 

A&M-Commerce hosts Southeastern Oklahoma State in a non-conference match on Tuesday at 6:00 pm, welcomes DBU on Friday at 6:00 pm, hosts Texas Woman’s on Saturday, October 30 at 1:00 pm, and hosts Senior Night against UT-Tyler on Saturday, November 6, at 6:00 pm. 

A&M-Commerce men take sixth; women take 14th at the LSC Cross Country Championships

LAWTON, Okla. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce cross country teams competed in the Lone Star Conference Championships at the Lawton Soccer Club on Saturday morning. The Lion men took sixth in the race, and the women took 14th. 

MEN

The Lions were paced by reigning Lone Star Conference champion Nicodemus Rotich (Eldoret, Kenya), who took 13th in the eight-kilometer race with a time of 26:20.86. Tanner Townsend (Royse City) secured 23rd place, clocking in a time of 26:43.72. Alex Speer (Robinson) placed 31st in his LSC championship with a time of 27:04.67. 

Casey Novelo (Burleson – Trinity), Jan Lenfert (Buckenhof, Germany), and Chris Navarrette (Laredo – Lyndon B. Johnson) finished within six seconds of each other to take 52nd, 53rd, and 54th spots in the results, respectively. Novelo timed 27:59.48, Lenfert clocked in at 28:01.60, and Navarrete timed 28:05.50. 

Rounding out the Lions group in the conference championships, Nicholas Deutsch (Frisco) took 62nd with a time of 28:30.71, Marshall Pate (Kaufman) finished 70th with a time of 28:43.35, and Chris Flores (Rocksprings) placed 84th with a mark of 29:23.18. 

West Texas A&M’s Innocent Murwanashyaka won the individual conference championship by over 20 seconds with a time of 25:16.51, well ahead of the runner-up, Erik Flores from UT Permian Basin’s time of 25:38.72. 

The Buffaloes also won the team conference championship, edging out St. Edward’s by 101 points. Six of the seven runners factored into the team score for West Texas A&M finished in the top 16. The Lions posted a team score of 172, 10 back of Texas A&M International, and two ahead of Oklahoma Christian. 

WOMEN

Freshmen Katelyn Matthews (Burleson – Mansfield Legacy) and Alondra Campa (Kaufman) had the top two times for the Lions. Matthews finished 56th in the six-kilometer race with a time of 25:03.89, and Campa took home 61st place with a mark of 25:12.57. 

Hannah Keil (xx, Germany) finished 81st with a time of 26:05.35, Yenifer Martinez (Irving – Nimitz) placed 88th with a time of 26:25.03, Evelyn Brown (Paris) timed 26:50.06 to finish 98th, and Edith Branch (Denton – Lake Dallas) finished in 101st place with a time of 26:57.06 to close out the Lions contingent. 

West Texas A&M had the top finisher on the women’s side as well. Florance Uwajeneza beat her teammate, Eleonora Curtabbi, by times of 21:33.75 and 21:57.83, respectively. DBU edged out the Buffaloes by three points for the team title despite having the top two finishers, and DBU posted a team score of 35, ahead of West Texas A&M’s 38. A&M-Commerce had a team score of 354.

UP NEXT

A select number of Lions will compete in the NCAA South Central Region Championships on November 6 in Lubbock. The field for the regional championships will be released next week.

Lion Volleyball gives No. 4 Angelo State its first home loss since 2018 in a five-set thriller.

SAN ANGELO – The No. 4 ranked Angelo State Rambelles had not lost a match at the Junell Center since 2018 coming into Friday night. Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team played spoilers and prevailed in five sets over the Lone Star Conference-leading Rambelles by set scores of 22-25, 25-12, 25-17, 21-25, and 15-8.

The 3-2 win by the Lions handed the Rambelles their first conference loss this season, first loss on their home floor since October 17, 2018, and snapped a 10-match winning streak this year.

For A&M-Commerce, this is its first win over a ranked team since downing the top-ranked University of Tampa in 2019. The Lions have won eight LSC matches in a row. It is after an 0-3 start in the conference schedule and hold an overall 9-7.

“Win or lose, our team has continued to get better,” said coach Craig Case. “I am really proud of our team continuing to get a little better every match and not settling with the win streak.”

In the match, the Lions had a hitting percentage of .201 and restricted the Rambelles to 0.083. Angelo State had a negative hitting percentage in two of five sets.

“Our players prepared really well for this match,” said Case. “They made a lot of adjustments on their own during the match that was very effective.”

A significant factor in the low hitting percentage for the Rambelles was the Lion defense, which had five players reach double-digit digs. Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo.) led the way with 26, Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) had 20, Ashley Pennington (Frisco – Liberty) had 13, Riley Davidson (Commerce), and Essence Allen (Longview – Tatum) had ten each.

“I am really proud to see the result of the effort that our team put in their defense,” added Case. “We did a really good job of staying disciplined against such a good hitting team in Angelo State.”

Vela and Allen had double-doubles in the match. Vela had 41 assists to go with her 20 digs, and Allen had 11 kills and ten digs.

Offensively, Maddy Rashford (Placentia, Calif.) had 13 kills, Allen had 11, Taryn Cast (Peaster) had nine, and Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.) had eight.

Maiya Dickie (Huntsville) had seven assisted blocks for the Lions, who had eight blocks (one solo, 14 assisted) in the match.

The Rambelles trailed 2-1 to start the match but jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first set. They had a 16-11 advantage when the Lions pulled to within 18-17 on a kill by Taryn Cast (Peaster).

A&M-Commerce stayed within a point of Angelo State, but a service error gave the Rambelles two set points, and they closed out the first set, 25-22, on a kill by Kailyn Gilbreath. The reigning LSC Offensive Player of the Week, Gilbreath, had a triple-double with 27 assists, 12 kills, and 12 digs.

The Lions build a cushion to start the second set, going on a 6-0 run to lead 8-1. From that point in the set, the slimmest scoring margin was seven as the Lions took the set, 25-12, on a kill by Vela.

This season, the second set on Friday night was just the third set where the Lions allowed 12 points or less to their opponent. A&M-Commerce had a hitting percentage of 0.233 in the set and held Angelo State to a hitting percentage of -0.045.

Like the second set, the Lions built an early lead and withstood a run by the Rambelles. The Lions led 12-5 in the set on a kill by Rashford, forcing the Rambelles to use a timeout.

Angelo State trailed 19-8 in the third set when it called its final timeout. However, the Rambelles won five of the following seven points to pull to 21-13. Two straight attacking errors pushed the lead back up to 10 for the Lions, and despite Angelo State going on a 4-1 run, A&M-Commerce won the third set, 25-17, on a service error by Angelo State.

The Lions followed their scripts from sets two and three to build a 7-2 lead in the fourth. They forced the Rambelles to use a timeout, following an assisted block by Vela and Dickie.

Coming out of the timeout, Angelo State won three in a row and tied the set at 12 by another 3-0 run. Both teams kept it close in the middle of the fourth set, with the Lions maintaining an 18-17 edge. However, the Rambelles rattled off three straight points, including an Angelo State block and two errors by A&M-Commerce, to grab a 20-18 lead.

The Rambelles capitalized on the two straight Lion miscues and forced a deciding set with a 25-21 win in the fourth set.

Despite losing the fourth set and getting the crowd of 1,150 on its feet at the end of the fourth set at the Junell Center, the Lions did not waver from their game plan and won the first two points of the fifth set.

“Angelo State showed the championship mindset that they have to force the fifth set,” said Case. “In the fifth set, we focused on what we did really well earlier in the night. I am really pleased with how some of our younger players responded in that fifth set.”

Angelo State once again fought back and took the next three. The Lions took the next three to go back up by three, but the Rambelles tied it at 6.

Two straight attacking errors by the Rambelles, blocked by Cast, started a 6-0 run for the Lions. Hebert served up two aces during the 6-0 run, and the Rambelles used both of their timeouts and a challenge attempt that officials didn’t overturn.

An attacking error by A&M-Commerce allowed the Rambelles to pull to 12-8, but a kill by Rashford and a bad set by Angelo State gave the Lions six chances to win the match, and they closed it out on a kill by Cast to take the deciding set, 15-8.

“Less than 24 hours later, we’re facing another good opponent on the road, so we’ve got a lot of work to do,” concluded Case. “We’ll celebrate this win a little bit and get ready to face Lubbock Christian.”

UP NEXT
On Saturday, the Lions look to keep their winning streak going as they travel to Lubbock to face Lubbock Christian at 2:00 pm.