No. 6 West Texas A&M dropped the
first set but rebounded to top Abilene Christian, 3-1, in the Lone
Star Conference Volleyball Championship game in front of a crowd of
1,569.
The Lady Buffs (34-3)
earned their fourth-straight LSC title and 11th overall by scores
of 27-29, 25-13, 25-15, and 25-19. The victory also marked
the 61st consecutive win in league play including the championship
for WTAMU.
The title game matched
the top seeds and two teams on the heels of 17-game winning
streaks, and every point was a battle.
The first set went to ACU
(29-6), as they outhit WTAMU with 19 kills, but was a
back-and-forth affair with nine tied scores. The Lady Buffs
turned the tables in the rest of the match by outhitting the
Wildcats .223 to .132.
WTAMU's Laura Prinsen was
named the tournament MVP and led all hitters in kills with 22 in 51
swings for a .353 hitting percentage. She also notched a
double-double with a team-leading 26 digs along with five block
assists and a solo block.
Also named to the
all-tournament team were Katie Rickwartz and Melissa Harper for the
Lady Buffs. Harper tallied 14 kills in 34 attempts for a .314
hitting percentage. She also had two block assists, while Rickwartz
led the team to a .223 hitting clip and 64 kills with 53 assists.
She also tallied a double-double, adding 14 digs.
Leading the Wildcats with
14 kills, Jennie Hutt was the only ACU player with double digit
kills. Setter Ijeoma Moronu recorded 43 assists and an
attacking percentage of .278 to lead the Wildcats. Junior
Shawna Hines recorded four blocks and eight kills for ACU.
Hutt, Moronu and Hines
were each named to the all-tournament team for their efforts.
The Lady Buffs earned the
league's automatic qualification into the NCAA tournament with this
win. The tournament seeds and host schools will be announced on
Sunday, Nov. 15.
2009 LSC Volleyball
All-Championship Team
Katelyn Osborne, Texas Woman's
Kristin Chancellor, Texas
A&M-Kingsville
Zuela Adom, Central Oklahoma
Kiara Jordan, Midwestern State
Caroline Cleveland, Angelo State
Katie Coleman, Angelo State
Perla Faudoa, Texas A&M-Commerce
Terra Ousley, Texas A&M-Commerce
Ijeoma Moronu, Abilene Christian
Jennie Hutt, Abilene Christian
Shawna Hines, Abilene Christian
Melissa Harper, West Texas A&M
Katie Rickwartz, West Texas A&M
MVP - Laura Prinsen, West Texas
A&M