PORTALES, New Mexico -- Junior Brooke Parker from Flagstaff, Arizona, saw extended playing time for the first time this season and led Midwestern State with 35 assists, but the Mustangs lost their opening match in the LSC Crossover to Cameron at Greyhound Arena, 3-1.

Freshman Isabella Dickens led MSU by hitting .300 on 20 swings. Junior Riley Rabedeaux had a team-high 49 attacks, 12 kills and three aces for the Mustangs. Sophomore Taygon Jones had 18 of 78 digs in the loss.

Needing to win the fourth set to extend the match, Midwestern State enjoyed a nice run of play to take a 14-8 lead. The Mustangs won 13 of 17 points and appeared to be headed toward a decisive fifth set, but the Aggies roared back.

Paris Patterson had three kills in a six-point run to tie the set, 14-14.

The set was knotted 20-20, when Caitlyn Henderson and Jacee Stelter had kills during a three-point run for the Aggies, who took a 23-20 lead. The Mustangs battled relentlessly to tie the set, 24-24. Cameron won the next two points to close out the match.

The Aggies hit .156 in the fourth set and finished the match with a .086 attack percentage. MSU hit a match-high .184 in the fourth set and finished the night with a .065 hitting percentage.

The first set featured six ties and four lead changes. Neither side managed to lead by more than two points through the first 23 points of the match. Caitlyn Cornell had two kills as the Aggies won four of five points to take a 16-12 lead.

Cameron would reel off a five-point run with two kills from Henderson and an ace by Meagan Jimenez. The Mustangs were never closer than six points down the stretch in the opening set, and Cameron claimed a 25-17 triumph.

Cameron hit .135 in the first set, while the Mustangs struggled with just nine kills on 43 attacks and eight errors.

Midwestern State fell behind early in the second set 5-2, but won 13 of 17 points to take a 15-9 lead. Lauryn Bourne had three kills in a span of four points.

Cameron rallied to tie the set, 16-16, but never reclaimed the lead. Koryn Johnson recorded a kill, and MSU took advantage of a service error and two attack errors by the Aggies to take a 23-20 lead. Arianna Fields and Dickens had kills to secure a 25-23 victory, and MSU leveled the match at a set apiece.

Midwestern State hit .158 in the second set and held the Aggies to a .081 attack percentage.

Both teams hit in negative numbers in the third set, but Cameron put together a four-point run to take an 8-6 lead, and a six-point run allowed the Aggies to extend their lead to 18-11.

Midwestern State narrowed the deficit to 21-17 by winning five of six points as Rabedeaux and Bourne each had a kill during the run for the Mustangs.

Jimenez served her third ace of the match, and the Aggies won four of the final six points to take a 2-1 lead with a 25-19 victory.

Midwestern State returns to Greyhound Arena on Friday to face Western New Mexico at 5 p.m. before playing twice on Saturday. The Mustangs tangle with St. Edward's at noon on Saturday before battling Eastern New Mexico at 4 p.m.
 

--MSUMustangs.com--

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