Five teams - Angelo State, UT Permian Basin, Tarleton, UAFS, and Texas A&M-Commerce – are unbeaten after one week of Lone Star Conference games.
LSC volleyball teams are 105-77 overall this season. The squads are currently 22-15 combined against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams, the other league in the NCAA South Central Region.
LSC schedule and results available here:
http://www.lonestarconference.org/calendar.aspx?path=wvball&
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Tatyana Tuialii-Umi, Tarleton State, SR, Kinesiology, RS, Bell, CA, South Gate HS
Tuialii-Umi had a career week for No. 11 Tarleton as the senior from Bell, California led the Texans to wins over St. Edward’s and St. Mary’s to begin Lone Star Conference play. Tuialii-Umi powered home a career-high 22 kills in Friday night’s win over St. Edward’s and tacked on a team-high 15 kills on Saturday afternoon against the Rattlers. The senior southpaw had 37 total kills while hitting at a .485 clip on 68 swings with just four errors over seven sets. She landed 5.29 kills per set and added four blocks. She totaled 39.0 points over seven sets.
DEFENSIVE
Makenna Hanssen, Angelo State, SO, Biology, Defensive Specialist, San Antonio, Texas, Brennan HS
Hanssen played two incredible matches for the Belles as she led the defense in digs against West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico. She averaged 5.43 digs per set with 15 digs versus ENMU and 23 against WT in the two wins. Hanssen also recorded an ace for the week and helped the ASU defense hold opponents to a .142 hitting percentage.
SETTER
Amari Franklin, Tarleton State, SO, Business, S, Beaumont, TX, West Brook HS
Franklin started both matches for Tarleton to begin Lone Star Conference action and dished out a team-leading 49 assists at a rate of 7.0 assists per set to lead the No. 11 Texans past St. Edward’s and St. Mary’s. Franklin had her third double-double of the season Friday with 27 assists and 13 digs while topping the 20-assist mark again in Saturday’s sweep of St. Mary’s. With Franklin at the forefront, the Texans hit .269 as a team for the weekend with two hitters topping a .450 hitting clip.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Offensive
S-10 Shelley Chapron, Texas A&M-Commerce
S-17 Lauren Kersey, Tarleton State
S-23 Tatyana Tuialii-Umi, Tarleton State
Defensive
S-10 Sofia Tonga, Tarleton State
S-17 Keely Hardin, DBU
S-23 Makenna Hanssen, Angelo State
Setter
S-10 Kayla Brannon, Tarleton State
S-17 Strealy Sizelove, DBU
S-23 Amari Franklin, Tarleton State
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Torrey Miller, West Texas A&M, continued to lead the way offensively for the Lady Buffs this past weekend as they opened up Lone Star Conference action against Angelo State and Lubbock Christian at The Box in Canyon. The freshman registered 49 kills on 104 swings to hit .269 on the weekend with one assist, three aces, 18 digs and two blocks to score 49.0 points as WT went 1-1. The Brownwood native set a new career-high with 26 kills on Saturday afternoon in a five-set thriller against LCU as she hit .345 on the afternoon with a pair of service aces to go along with 12 digs for her first career double-double as the Lady Buffs picked up their first LSC victory of the season. The freshman leads the Lone Star Conference in kills (143), kills per set (4.33) and points per set (4.89).
Makenzie Griffin, Angelo State, led ASU's offense into action against West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico. She registered a total count of 30 kills, nine against Eastern New Mexico and 21 against West Texas A&M. Her overall hitting percentage was a .331 for the weekend. She also registered 7 digs for the weekend.
Sydney Andersen, Texas A&M-Commerce, Sydney Andersen helped lead the Lion offense two a pair of sweeps as they began conference play. The junior from California hit .360 on the outside, averaging nearly four kills per set. Against A&M-Kingsville, Andersen had 14 kills while adding a pair of blocks in the team's sweep. She then had nine kills against A&M International, hitting a blazing .533 in the match.
Sarah Eakin, Midwestern State, recorded double digit kills in both of Midwestern State's matches last week. The senior hit .400 with 13 kills against Cameron before registering 12 kills and a .357 kill rate against Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Wichita Falls native has hit .300 or better in seven of the Mustangs' 10 matches to open the season.
Hannah Tishlarich , Western New Mexico, was a force in the front row for the Mustangs in their conference opener against UT - Permian Basin. The senior middle hit an efficient .900 with 9 kills on 10 attempts with zero errors, averaging 3.00 kills per set.
Katarina Mendez, St. Edward’s, led the attack as the Hilltoppers went 1-1 this week to open conference action, posting just 2 errors in 47 attempts. She had an impressive 11 kills on 21 attempts against Tarleton for an attack percentage of .524. Mendez was also instrumental in SEU handing DBU their first loss of the season with nine kills in the three set match.
Avery Moore, Lubbock Christian, helped LCU to a 1-1 week, which included their first Lone Star Conference win in program history with a 3-1 road win Friday at Eastern New Mexico. She produced 11 kills in the win over ENMU and followed it with a 14-kill performance at West Texas A&M Saturday. She had a .343 attack percentage in the match and also added three blocks for a 15.5-point output against the Lady Buffs. On the week, she led LCU with a .297 attack percentage.
Shelley Chapron, Texas A&M-Commerce, was a major catalyst in the Lions' two sweeps last week to open conference play. Her play in the middle helped the Lions hold their opponents to a .093 hitting percentage, averaging 1.7 blocks per set in the team's two sweeps. Against A&M-Kingsville, Chapron had four blocks, disrupting the Javelina offense that came into the match leading the conference in kills. Chapron helped hold TAMUK to a .119 hitting percentage, proving to be a major deterrent at the net in the No. 21 Lions' sweep. Chapron then had six blocks against A&M-International in the team's sweep, helping the Lions hold the Dustdevils to a .061 hitting percentage. Chapron continues to lead the LSC in total blocks and blocks per set, while ranking second in hitting percentage and second in points scored.
Lauren Kersey, Tarleton State, stepped into a new role for Tarleton as she took on some middle responsibilities and led the Texans with 10 blocks over back-to-back wins against St. Edward’s and St. Mary’s. In addition to pounding down 19 kills on a .455 hit percentage on offense, Kersey owned the net by boasting 10 blocks – including three solo – for an average of 1.43 blocks per set. She finished the weekend with 26.5 points.
Nicole Grant, St. Edward’s, led SEU to a 1-1 weekend to open conference play, averaging nearly six digs per contest. She added 0.57 assists per set.
Chandler Vogel, West Texas A&M, dominated in the back row for the Lady Buffs this past weekend as the junior helped WT to a 1-1 record to open up Lone Star Conference action at the WTAMU Fieldhouse "The Box" against Angelo State and Lubbock Christian. The Hereford, Texas product registered 52 digs in the pair of matches to average 5.78 per frame to go along with six aces and nine assists while holding the Belles and Lady Chaps to a combined .237 attack percentage. Saturday's five-set match saw Vogel set a new career-high in aces (5) and assists (8) while tallying 25 digs in the victory.
Maddie DeGuire, Lubbock Christian, helped LCU to a 1-1 week, which included their first Lone Star Conference win in program history Friday (3-1 win at Eastern N.M.), leading the team with 42 digs, at a rate of 21 per match and 4.7 per set. She extended her streak of at least 20 digs to six consecutive matches with 20 digs at ENMU and 22 digs Saturday at West Texas A&M. Maddie also served up three aces at ENMU, marking her fourth game this season with at least three aces. She ranks third in the LSC with 184 digs on the season (fourth in digs per set at 4.6).
Natalie Sarbeck, Texas A&M-Commerce, helped lead the No. 21 Lion offense to a pair of sweeps in their opening weekend of conference play. The sophomore from Cypress averaged more than seven assists per set, helping the team hit .245 on the weekend. Against A&M-Kingsville, Sarbeck had 27 assists in the team's sweep of the Javelinas. She then had 17 assists in the team's sweep of A&M International, helping lead the team to a .337 hitting percentage in the match.
Lindsey Ledyard, Angelo State, had a phenomenal weekend as she strived to assist the Belles in their matches against West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico. She had a total of 48 assists in two matches and 19 digs as well.
Lauren Kadilis, Texas A&M-Kingsville, logged a pair of double-doubles for the Javelinas and led the team in assists in all four matches during the week while helping TAMUK to wins over Henderson State and UT Tyler. Against the Reddies, Kadilis handed out 32 helpers while also totaling 27 digs as the Javs outlasted HSU in five sets. She hit double figures in both categories again in a five-set battle against the Patriots, collecting 24 assists with 12 scoops and propelled TAMUK to its first conference win of 2019. During the week, Kadilis piled up 88 assists, averaging 5.5 per set, and 54 digs.
Bradi Marshall, Lubbock Christian, helped LCU to a 1-1 week, which included a 3-1 win at Eastern New Mexico for their first LSC win in program history. She had 42 assists in the win over ENMU and followed with 47 assists Saturday at West Texas A&M. She completed her fifth and sixth double-doubles of the season adding 15 digs at ENMU and 11 digs at WTAMU, averaging 2.9 digs per set. Marshall also provided LCU with three blocks, two kills and two aces on the week. She leads the LSC in assists (404) and assists per set (10.1) on the season.