The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) women's volleyball team dropped a thriller to Texas A&M University -- Kingsville 17-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20, and 14-16 in women's' volleyball action Sept. 8 at Mabee Gymnasium. This was the fourth time this season the Saints have come from behind to force a pivotal fifth game in a match; however, it also proved to be the first time the Saints failed to capitalize.

The Javelinas came out of the blocks early in game one as they jumped out to an 11-7 lead. The Saints answered back defensively as freshman middle blocker Jasmine Price and sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Herrera combined for a block to bring the Saints closer, 12-9. Junior outside hitter Lauren Eveler managed to pull the Saints within a point, 17-16, when she blocked a Javelina tip at the net. From there, the teams managed to trade points the rest of the game with the Javelinas getting the best of the Saints and finishing the game 25-17.

Game two started off much the way game one ended with the Javelinas finding holes in the Saints defense and dominating the net. With the Saints trailing 14-8, head coach Mark Lee received a yellow card for disputing an OLLU net violation. From there, the Saints stepped up their aggressiveness behind strong kills by Price, Eveler and junior middle blocker Kelsey Johnson to tie the game, 16-16. Eveler then combined with senior middle blocker Melanie Valenciana to block a Javelina kill, giving the Saints their first lead of the match, 18-17. From there, the Saints finished the game with strong defense, forcing the Javelinas into the net for five of the last seven points to take the game 25-18.

Both teams started game three determined to send a message with hustle and strong net play. The teams traded points throughout most of the game as neither team managed more than a three point lead. During that stretch, senior defensive specialist Danielle Oterro managed to keep the opposition's defense off balance with two aces and a third serve that couldn't be handled by the Javelinas. Late in the game, Price and Valenciana combined for a block to pull the Saints within two points, 23-21. The Javs answered and finished the game 25-21.

With their backs against the wall, Eveler stepped up her play with two blocks and two kills to lead the Saints to an early 7-4 lead. From there, Price and sophomore right-side hitter Liza Rodriguez joined Eveler to combine for the Saints next six points to put them up 13-9. The Saints used smart play and stubborn defense to finish the game as junior libero Sarah Lindsey directed the defense to a 23-16 with several digs and directing her backline defense. The Javelinas attempted a late comeback, but that was stifled when freshman setter Desirea Aguilar found a hole in the Javelina defense to give the Saints a 25-20 win.

The Saints started slow in game five, falling behind early, 5-1. During a timeout, Lee managed to find the right words to motivate his team as the Saints battled back behind determined defense and key kills by Price and Rodriguez to give the Saints an 11-10 lead. After freshman outside hitter Norma Fraga's kill, the Javelinas were called for a net violation to give the Saints match point, 14-13. The Saints had a chance to win the match, but in a cruel twist, Oterro's attempt to send the ball back to the Javelinas was blocked by the gymnasium rafters, allowing the ball to fall back to the Saints side of the court, and giving the Javelinas a second chance. The Javelinas took advantage and finished the game 16-14 to win the best-of-five series, 3-2.

Lindsay finished the game with 18 digs. Price finished the game with 11 kills, and five blocks. Aguilar finished with 12 assists and nine digs. Eveler finished with four blocks, five kills, and five digs. Johnson finished with three aces and seven digs. Valenciana finished with three blocks and seven kills.