SAN ANGELO, Texas — Midwestern St. (14-12, 9-6 Lone Star) fell to No. 5 Angelo St. (24-1, 14-0 Lone Star) 3-0 on Friday at Junell Center/Stephens Arena. The Mustangs totaled 32 kills and hit .101, while the Rams finished with 47 kills and a .364 hitting percentage.
MSU could not keep pace after ASU turned a 12-6 edge into a 17-6 lead during the middle of the first set. Earlier,
Aaliyah Toppin answered the opening point with a kill from
Macy Scheer to tie it at 1-1, and
Isabella Dickens added kills that moved the Mustangs to 2-3 and 3-5. The Rams scored four straight points to make it 9-3 before
Nyle Mathis responded with a kill from Scheer and later added another from
Jenna Redding. Toppin, Dickens and
Jaiden Wright supplied late kills for the Maroon & Gold, but ASU closed the set with a Hannah Barnhill kill to take it 25-11.
The Mustangs stayed even deep into the second set and later fought off four set points, but the Rams moved from a 13-13 tie to a 20-15 lead before taking the set 25-21. Earlier, Dickens helped MSU turn a 7-7 tie into an 8-7 lead with consecutive kills from Scheer, then teamed with Scheer on a block as the Mustangs reached 10-8. Mathis answered with kills at 11-11 and 16-22, while Wright added two kills as the Maroon & Gold tried to stay within reach late. Down 24-17, MSU scored four straight points behind a Wright kill, an ASU attack error, a
TaNia Penn kill and a Scheer service ace before the Rams closed the set.
MSU erased an early 4-1 deficit in the third set behind a Mathis kill and back-to-back Scheer service aces, tying the set at 4-4. The Mustangs continued to answer through the middle of the set, with Penn, Toppin, Dickens and Wright supplying kills as the Maroon & Gold pulled even again at 12-12, 13-13 and 14-14. The Rams moved in front 18-15, but MSU responded with a Dickens block and a Wright kill to get back within 18-17. After Mathis cut it to 19-18 and later added another kill at 23-19, ASU closed the set with consecutive Julia Hopkins kills for a 25-19 finish.
Dickens led the Mustangs with 10 kills, 12.5 points and three total blocks. Scheer recorded 30 assists and added three service aces. Redding finished with a team-high 12 digs and added one assist. Mathis tallied nine kills, one ace and 10 points.
Up next, MSU travels to Odessa, Texas, to face UT Permian Basin on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. at Falcon Dome.
