LAREDO, Texas -- Aaliyah Burras continues to play sensational volleyball for Midwestern State, and she hit .375 at Texas A&M International on Saturday, but the Mustangs fell to the Dustdevils at the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building, 13-25, 20-25, 28-26, 16-25.
The fifth-year senior, who transferred to MSU from Nicholls State, continues be a dominant presence in the middle for the Mustangs. In her last five matches, Burras is averaging 3.26 kills per set and is hitting an astounding .530 for the Mustangs.
Burras led Midwestern with 12 kills and had one of the four service aces for the Mustangs, but it wasn't enough to topple TAMIU on its home floor.
The Dustdevils had won five consecutive home matches before suffering their first home loss of the season on Friday night. TWU upset  TAMIU in five sets.
The Dustdevils were anxious to put that loss behind them.
TAMIU scored 10 of the final 13 points in the opening set, and the Dustdevils set the tone with a 12-point victory.
Midwestern State held the early advantage in the second set, 7-3, but TAMIU would win 14 of 17 points to take a commanding 17-10 lead. The Dustdevils hit .319 in the second set and seemed poised to dispatch the Mustangs in quick fashion.
Midwestern State once again displayed its resiliency and avoided being swept by TAMIU.
After MSU took an early 5-2 lead, the Dustdevils reeled off four-straight points to take a 6-5 lead. The set continued to go back-and-forth without much separation. An attack error gave the Mustangs a 27-26 lead, and
Alex Serna closed it out with an ace, extending the match to a fourth set.
Both teams played at a high level in the fourth set, but TAMIU was exceptional.
The Dustdevils hit .594 with 19 kills on 32 swings without an error in the frame.
The Mustangs had their best attacking percentage of the day in the fourth set at .333.
Midwestern had 14 kills on 33 swings with just three errors but could not keep pace with TAMIU.
The Dustdevils won 11 of the final 16 points to close out the match.
Emma Lade had 50 assists in the victory for TAMIU. Megan Menchaca had 18 kills and hit .469 to lead the Dustdevils, who hit .309 as a team. TAMIU improved to 20-6 overall with an 11-2 LSC record. Midwestern fell to 4-10 in conference matches and is 6-21 overall this season.
The Mustangs were unable to score a road victory this season, but return home for their final two matches of the campaign. MSU is 4-3 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, and Arkansas-Fort Smith visits Friday for a match that starts at 6 p.m.
Â
