TEXARKANA, TEXAS (Sept. 21, 2024) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) volleyball team split the series against Texas A&M University – Texarkana (TAMUT) this weekend. The Saints lost the first match on Friday evening 3-0 and won the second one this afternoon 3-1. OLLU is now 8-7 overall and 1-1 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Eagles are now 7-10 overall and 3-1 in conference.

Assistant Coach Raven Swain commented, "This weekend tested us. Texarkana came out firing on all cylinders on Friday and had a great home crowd. We struggled with serve receive, blocking and staying aggressive overall. We didn't respond the best, didn't compete the way we know how and ended up taking a tough loss.

"But we came back Saturday and responded very well. Texarkana didn't let up, but we took our game to the next level and competed. We played OLLU volleyball. Our serve receive and blocking improved tremendously, and we were making smart plays and just going all out on defense. It was definitely a team win, and everyone contributed to the success of today's match. It was a fun one to be a part of, and we coaches were very proud of how they bounced back and fought today."

The Saints are 4-2 against the Eagles. OLLU's only other loss came last year.

Match one

In the conference opener, the Saints got behind at the get-go as the Eagles stormed through a 10-4 lead. An OLLU timeout did not slow the Eagles, who continued to secure a comfortable lead at 18-11. Kills from Camila Ramirez and Makaelyn Perez got the Saints to within two, but the Eagles prevailed to win 25-23.

The Saints kept the second set close, and the teams tied at seven, eight, nine, 10 and 11. Service errors gave the Eagles the leeway to take a 16-12 lead, but the Saints came back to tie at 18 and 19. TAMUT took back the momentum to pull ahead to a 25-21 win.

The early lead belonged to OLLU in the third set, but both teams battled to go back and forth on top. The Eagles powered through the 23-19 lead, and the Saints came back to tie three more times before TAMUT won 28-26.

Mia Frances led the team with eight kills, while Perez had seven with the team's highest hitting percentage at .312. Lauren Reynard recorded 31 assists, and Tina Trevino finished with 24 digs. Both Anais Velasquez and Frances contributed two blocks.

Match two

After a restful sleep on the road, the Saints hoped to bounce back in the second match against TAMUT. The first set didn't go as planned. In the first half of the set, the game was close, but the Eagles stopped the Saints at 16 points while leading at 21. They went on a four-point run to win 25-16.

The Eagles scored the first point of the second game off a Saints' service error. After the Saints went up 4-1, the teams tied twice, but TAMUT kept most of the lead until a kill from Mia Dorsey put the Saints ahead 15-14. The Saints kept battling and succeeded in winning 25-23.

Lead changes and ties were the story for the third set until the Saints reached a 15-11 lead. The women kept their composure and overpowered the feisty Eagles to win 25-14.

It was evident the team with the stronger will to win would prevail in the fourth game. Again, leads and ties continued through the first half of the game. Kills from Nicole Bir and Francis kept the Saints in the lead, but the Eagles came back to tie at 20. Dorsey's kill and Francis' service ace were the catalysts to secure the 25-22 set win and 3-1 match.

After a first-set record of nine kills and nine errors, the Saints showed significant improvement in the following sets, recording .167, .351, and .279 hitting percentages. This improvement is a testament to the team's resilience and determination. TAMUT did not match up well in three of the four sets after recording .167, .075, .077, and .154 hitting percentages.

Three Saints marked double-digit kills, including Mia Francis at 12, Camila Ramirez at 15 and Mia Dorsey at 17. Lauren Reynard finished with 29 assists, while Arianna Moreno had 17. Tina Trevino added 29 digs, and Chanisty Villarreal Bermea had 14, Julia Anguiano had 12 and Dorsey had 10. Perez had a career-high six blocks, while Francis finished with four, Ramirez with three and Victoria Urbanczyk with three.

What's next

The Saints will return home after 28 days. They will host Paul Quinn College for a conference matchup on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 28 at 12 p.m.