Midwestern State vs No. 25 West Texas A&M
Friday, Oct. 22 – 6 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: WT leads 38-1
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WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- D.L. Ligon Coliseum sets the stage for Midwestern State (3-15, 1-9 LSC) and No. 25 West Texas A&M (14-2, 8-1 LSC) in their Lone Star Conference face-off on Friday, Oct. 22. The first serve of the match is set for p.m.
 

FIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Lauryn Bourne plays a big impact for the Mustangs, gaining a Lone Star Conference seventh-best 173 kills to lead the team. She averages 2.72 per set, which ranks 17th in the conference. The sophomore's 209.5 total points sits tenth in the LSC with a 3.08 average. Bourne launched 54 attempts at Texas A&M International (9/17) for a season-high and her best performance in kills was in the first match of the season against Colorado Christian (9/03) with 19 put downs. The outside hitter reached 13 service aces, dropping three against No. 18 UT Tyler (10/09). On defense, Bourne is second behind DeWalt with 198 digs (2.91/set) and collected 19 blocks (four solo, 15 assists). In the 2020 season, the Cypress, Texas native notched 148 kills for a 2.85 average and added 3.12 digs per set.
 
Torrey Miller has 225 kills to top West Texas A&M. The sophomore has accumulated 254 points in 590 attack attempts. She averages 4.54 points, 4.02 kills and 0.18 service aces per set. On defense, the outside hitter is second for the team with 163 digs to average 2.91 per set. She adds 32 blocks in 56 sets.
 
2 |  Amy DeWalt's 260 passes earns her a ninth place rank in the Lone Star Conference while her average of 3.88 puts the freshman in 15th place. She notched a season-high 26 digs at Texas Woman's (10/02). In 67 sets, DeWalt tallies a 0.953 receive percent from the back line of defense. In addition, the defensive specialist is third on the team's list with 55 assists. The San Antonio, Texas, native collected five service aces on the season, grabbing one in back-to-back matches against Sioux Falls (9/04) and Seattle Pacific (9/04) and again versus Texas A&M International (9/17) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (9/18).
 
Chandler Vogel's 270 digs sits fifth in the LSC to average 4.82 per set. The defensive specialist has 55 assists and 11 service aces in 16 matches.
 
3|  Autumn Roach holds the eighth highest assists with 376 on the 2021 season. Her average of 5.53 gains a conference rank of 12th. Roach has accumulated ten matches with 20+ assists, with a season-high 38 landed at Texas A&M International (9/17). To add to her stats, the setter has seven aces, gaining two at Texas A&M-Kingsville (9/18). In 2020, she collected 365 helpers (5.14 average) along with 30 service aces. Regan Willms is Roach's main counterpart in MSU's setting rotation. The freshman owns 241 total assists to average 4.08 per set. Willms leads Midwestern State with 17 service aces, landing five aces against Texas A&M International (9/17) and four versus Eastern New Mexico (9/10).

Sadie Snay is the top setter for the Lady Buffs with 319 assists. Her average sits at 5.70 and she includes ten service aces. The setter has eight kills and 104 digs. 
 
4 |  As a team, Midwestern State has accumulated 2,402 attack attempts in 18 matches while their opponents controlled 2,313. The match at Texas Woman's (10/02) saw the team gather 214 attempts for the high of the season. MSU landed 946 digs with the team best coming at Texas Woman's with 103. In addition, the Mustangs registered 733 assists and 791 kills on the season. On defense, Midwestern State sees 31 solo blocks and 142 block assists to total 102. 11 stops on the net against Arkansas Tech (9/11) stands the highest for MSU. Together, the Mustangs land 71 aces on the year, serving up nine against No. 18 UT Tyler (10/09). 
 
5 |  The Mustangs currently ride a nine-match losing streak that began after the team's 3-2 win at Texas A&M International (9/17). The last time MSU had a streak that was nine games or longer was in the 2018 season when the squad dropped 13 straight matches. That year, Midwestern State went 5-23 overall for a 0.179 winning percent. The Mustangs gained a 3-17 Lone Star Conference record to land tenth in the conference standings. This was the year before the LSC merged with the Heartland Conference. West Texas A&M posts a eight-match win streak that started on Sept. 18. The Lady Buffs are 3-2 when on the road while the Mustangs are 2-5 at home.
 
 
HEAD COACH VALERIE ARMSTRONG enters her fourth season at the helm of the Midwestern State volleyball program. In the shortened 2020 season, the team amounted a 10-7 overall record, the best winning percentage since 2008. Another feat from last year was the program's first Lone Star Conference postseason win that came against DBU (3/23). Over three seasons, Armstrong has obtained a 26-60 record. Before coming to Midwestern State in 2018, she had experience at all levels of collegiate volleyball. In Division I, Armstrong was assistant coach at Binghamton and Alabama State. She saw time as a head coach at two junior colleges including Vernon College and Colby Community College. Her first coaching job was the assistant at NAIA University of the Southwest in 2007 after graduating from Oklahoma Panhandle State. There she earned OPSU Female Athlete of the Year honors after leading the Aggies with 2.50 kills and 0.47 blocks per set as a senior in 2006.
 
SERIES WITH THE LADY BUFFS
In 39 matches, West Texas A&M took 38 wins since the series began in 1996. Midwestern State's solo victory took place in 2017 with a 3-0 defeat at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Overall, the Mustangs are 1-28 in Lone Star Conference play and 1-13 when playing on their home court. The Lady Buffs grabbed three straight 3-0 home wins from 2018 with the last meeting in 2019.
  

--MSUMustangs.com--