EDMOND, Okla. — Midwestern State defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville 3-1 (25-22, 14-25, 25-20, 25-18) in the Lone Star Challenge at Payne Athletic Center on Friday night. In the fourth set, the Mustangs won five of six rallies to move from 1-1 to 6-2 before closing the match with a 25-18 set win.
MSU (4-6) won the opening set 25-22, closing it with back-to-back kills from
Nyle Mathis after the Javelinas had stayed within a point late. The Mustangs answered an 8-9 deficit by scoring five of the next six points, with
Aubree Bunker,
Jaiden Wright and
Isabella Dickens recording kills and Dickens teaming with Wright on a block during the stretch. TAMUK (6-4) worked back to tie the set at 17-17 and later moved ahead 20-19, but Dickens tied it with a kill before Mathis and a Dickens-Bunker block helped the Maroon & Gold go back in front 22-20. Bunker added a kill for a 23-21 edge, and Mathis delivered the final two MSU points to finish the set.
The Mustangs stayed close early behind three Dickens kills that tied the second set at 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3, but the Javelinas moved in front and gradually stretched the margin. Mathis added three kills through the middle of the set, and
Lillian Noble teamed with Wright on a block as MSU continued to answer several sideout chances. After Noble and Bunker put down consecutive kills to make it 17-13, TAMUK scored the next four points before Bunker stopped the stretch with another kill. The Mustangs could not extend the set from there, as the Javelinas closed out a 25-14 second-set result.
MSU built enough separation in the third set to withstand a late TAMUK push, closing out a 25-20 win on Mathis' kill from Maxime Pheasant. Bunker and Dickens helped the Mustangs start quickly, with Dickens adding multiple kills as the home side moved in front 9-4 and later 18-9.
Remi Madison kept the Maroon & Gold moving through the middle and late stages, including kills that made it 13-7, 21-15 and 22-16 after the Javelinas had worked back into the set. TAMUK trimmed the margin to 20-15 with four straight points, but MSU answered often enough down the stretch, getting a
TaNia Penn kill for set point before Mathis finished the set.
The Mustangs used Pheasant's early service turn to move from a 2-2 tie to a 6-2 lead, with Mathis, Dickens and Bunker each putting down kills during the stretch. MSU pushed the margin to 11-4 behind a Javelinas error and back-to-back Madison kills, but the visitors answered with six straight points to pull within 11-10. Mathis stopped that surge with a kill, and the Mustangs later rebuilt separation from 13-12 to 17-12 on kills by Wright, Penn and Dickens plus a Dickens block. In the closing stretch, Mathis supplied three kills as MSU moved ahead 23-15, and Madison delivered the Maroon & Gold's final two points on kills to finish a 25-18 set win.
Dickens scored 23 points on 21 kills while hitting .429 and added three total blocks. Pheasant recorded 30 assists, 14 digs and one service ace.
Jenna Redding collected 19 digs and added three assists. Mathis finished with 14 kills on a .371 hitting percentage.
Up next, the Mustangs travel to Silver City, New Mexico, to face Western New Mexico on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m.
