Three divisional champions - Angelo State, Texas A&M-Kingsville and UT Tyler - have been crowned as the Spring 2021 season winds down. ASU, TAMUK and UTT will receive byes and host the opening round and quarterfinals on March 23-24. The Spring 2021 LSC Championship bracket will be finalized following conclusion of play next week.
The Spring 2021 volleyball slate will feature a “bubble” format for 16 teams with four divisions consisting of four teams each on Tuesday-Wednesday playing dates. Each team has 12 divisional games over six weeks against the same opponent at the same site. Regular season competition will begin on Jan. 26 and will conclude on March 10 with the week of March 15-20 reserved for make-up contests.
The LSC Volleyball Championship will include 12 teams with the top three in each division. The opening round is set for March 23, followed by the quarterfinals on March 24, semifinals on March 30 and championship match on March 31.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Torrey Miller, West Texas A&M, SO, Biology, Outside Hitter, Brownwood, Texas, Brownwood
Miller was dominant this past week for the Lady Buffs as they took a pair of contests from previously unbeaten No. 2/5 Angelo State to run WT's win streak to eight matches and finish the regular season unbeaten at The Box for the first time since 2013. The Brownwood product registered 39 kills on 86 swings with just seven attack errors to hit .372 on the week with four assists, two service aces, seven blocks and 16 digs in the pair of victories for 44.5 total points. Miller averaged 4.88 kills per set for the Lady Buffs as the sophomore is second in the LSC in total kills (198) and kills per frame (4.50). Miller led the way offensively with 21 kills on 41 swings with just two attack errors to hit .463 on Tuesday night in a sweep of the Belles followed by 18 kills on Wednesday night in a five set thriller while also tallying nine digs to finish just shy of a double-double.
DEFENSIVE
Christina Escamilla, UT Tyler, JR, Kinesiology, OH, Arlington, Texas, Martin HS
Escamilla totaled eight blocks in just six sets for UT Tyler in a pair of 3-0 sweeps over Texas Woman's this week. Escamilla was a defensive driving force behind a Patriot unit that limited the Pioneers to a .021 hitting percentage for the week. Escamilla totaled six of the 13 team blocks in Wednesday night's win, matching the most blocks ever recorded in a three-set match in UT Tyler volleyball history. Escamilla paired that defensive output with 16 kills for the week, totaling 20.5 points scored between the two matches.
SETTER
Callie Craus, UT Tyler, SO, Kinesiology, S, Grapevine, Texas, Carrol Senior HS
Craus posted 17 and 14 assists in the Patriot's 3-0 wins over Texas Woman's this week, averaging 5.17 assists per set. She posted a double-double with 14 assists and 10 digs in Wednesday night's win after nearly reaching a double-double mark with 17 assists and nine digs in Tuesday's contest. She alongside fellow setter Taylor Stoops helped manufacture a Patriot offense that hit .330 for the week and posted a season-high .385 hitting percentage on Wednesday night. The Patriots nearly doubled the Pioneer kill total on the week at 84-to-45 and averaged 14 kills per set.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Offensive
J-29 Evelyn Torres, UT Tyler
F-4 Hannah Callison, UT Tyler
F-11 Kailyn Gilbreath, Angelo State
F-25 Mackenzie Catalina, Texas A&M International
M-4 Melissa McNeil, St. Edward’s
M-11 Torrey Miller, West Texas A&M
Defensive
J-29 Mikayla Ware, UT Tyler
F-4 Sydney Anderson, Texas A&M-Commerce
F-11 Mikayla Ware, UT Tyler (2)
F-25 Chandler Vogel, West Texas A&M
M-4 Chloe Patton, Angelo State
M-11 Christina Escamilla, UT Tyler
Setter
J-29 Taylor Stoops, UT Tyler
F-4 Taylor Stoops, UT Tyler (2)
F-11 Lindsey Ledyard, Angelo State
F-25 Emily Witt, Texas A&M-Kingsville
M-4 Lindsey Ledyard, Angelo State (2)
M-11 Callie Craus, UT Tyler
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Kelsi Luckenbach, Texas A&M-Kingsville, led the Javelinas in kills in both of their matches last week as TAMUK improved to 11-0 for the first time in program history. In a sweep of St. Mary's on Tuesday, she logged a career-high 16 kills and committed only three errors for a .342 hitting percentage. On Wednesday, Luckenbach fired off 15 smashes and hit .314 as the Javs cruised to another three-set victory. For the week, the sophomore from Calallen, averaged 5.17 kills per set while swinging at a .329 clip.
Maddy Rashford, Texas A&M-Commerce, was the Lions' top offensive threat in a sweep of DBU this week. She led the balanced Lion attack with 21 kills averaging 4.4 kills/set (only playing 5 of our 7 sets). She hit .435 from the pins and also pitched in with 3 digs and a solo block.
Kylee Becker, UT Tyler, averaged 4.17 kills per set in the Patriot's pair of 3-0 wins to finish off the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record this week. She notched 17 kills in Tuesday's win, matching the third highest kill total in a three-set match in UT Tyler volleyball history. The Liberty Hill, Texas native followed up that performance with an eight-kill, 12-dig performance in Wednesday's sweep. Becker hit .396 for the week, totaling 25 kills in 53 swings with just four errors. She totaled 29.0 points between the two matches and led a Patriot offense that recorded a season-high .385 team hitting percentage in Wednesday's match and hit .330 as a team for the week.
Isella Murillo, UT Permian Basin, needing two wins to reach the LSC Postseason, carried the the Falcons offensively and defensively. The Laredo native tied, then broke her career-high in kills with 16 and 17 on the road in a pair of do or die contests, while hitting .256 from the outside. Murillo did it on both ends of the floor. The senior set a new career-high with 20 digs Tuesday night and then added 17 more on Wednesday to clinch the Falcons a playoff berth. Murillo was also deadly from the serve with three service aces and 62 receptions without an error. She added three total blocks and averaged 4.81 points per set to lead the team.
Caitlynne Hudgens, Oklahoma Christian, starred both ways for OC as the Eagles swept a pair of road matches at Cameron to clinch a postseason berth in the revived program’s first season. She had 11 kills in a 3-0 sweep on Monday – a match in which OC posted a season-best .305 attack percentage – then added 15 more in a 3-2 win on Tuesday to average 3.25 per set on the week. She added two block solos and five block assists to go with 34 digs (4.25 per set).
Lissette Lefforge, Midwestern State, helped the Mustangs go 1-1 to end the regular season this week. The middle blocker registered 26 kills in two games with a .278 hitting percentage. She had 14 kills in the first game and 12 in the second game against University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Colorado native hit a season-best three service aces on Tuesday and added another one on Wednesday. She added nine digs and six block assists in two games. In nine sets, the middle blocker put up 33 points for MSU.
Grace White, Angelo State, was a beast on offense for the Belles on offense in their two matches against West Texas A&M, registering 18 kills and averaging 2.25 kills per set, finishing with a .424 hitting percentage. White scored 21.5 points for the Belles offensively, while defensively registering six total blocks, two solo blocks and four block assists, averaging .75 blocks per set, and five digs.
Daylee Doggett, UT Permian Basin, has blossomed as the Falcons libero late in the season, recording 20 or more digs in five consecutive matches. On Tuesday the freshman set a career-high with 29 and followed it up with an impressive 21 dig performance to push the Falcons to an LSC Postseason berth. Doggett leads the Falcons with 174 digs and sits 11th in the LSC. She had only one reception error over 32 receptions as the Falcons swept Lubbock Christian on the road.
Riley Davidson, Texas A&M-Commerce, moved to outside hitter and kept up her performance on the defensive side of play, as the Lions picked up a pair of victories at DBU to clinch an LSC Tournament position. She averaged just under six digs per set, with 15 in the Tuesday sweep and 26 in Wednesday's four-set win. The Lions held DBU to .045 in the two matches, which was their lowest total of the season, which includes TAMUC's best defensive effort of the season Tuesday with an opponent hitting percentage of .030.
Brylie Berryman, Oklahoma Christian, was all over the court, averaging 5.63 digs per set as OC swept a pair of road matches at Cameron to clinch a postseason berth in the revived program’s first season. In a dramatic five-set win on Wednesday, she had 35 digs to go with 12 assists. She helped limit Cameron to a .128 hitting percentage over the two matches.
Catherine Cruz, St. Mary’s, received the vast majority of the serves against #10 Texas A&M-Kingsville, with 50 receptions over the six sets and only four errors. She also averaged 5.17 digs per set, four assists and had an ace. The senior libero notched a .944 service percentage, missing just one of her 18 serves.
Lorena Martin Perez, Texas A&M International, was a strong anchor on the defense in the two matches this week. On Tuesday, Martin Perez posted a double-double of 21 digs and 12 kills to go along with two blocks and a service ace as well as holding the Hilltoppers to a .177 hitting percentage in the 3-1 win. On Wednesday she dug 15 balls with seven kills.
Chloe Patton, Angelo State, was a huge asset on defense for the Belles in their matches against West Texas A&M, registering 38 digs and averaging 4.75 digs per set. Patton also registered a service ace against the Buffs, scoring one point on offense, and six assists for the Belles.
Ayanna Jackson, Texas A&M-Kingsville, collected eight total blocks for and also churned out 16 kills in a week that saw the Javelinas top St. Mary's twice and improve to 11-0 for the first time ever. In a win on Tuesday, Jackson recorded four rejections and nine kills while posting a .421 hitting percentage. She helped her team capture another victory on Wednesday by turning in four more blocks and seven smashes. Jackson averaged 1.33 blocks per set and helped her teammates limit the Rattlers to a .132 hitting percentage for the week.
Analise Lucio, UT Permian Basin, continues to have a huge junior campaign and was a big part in the Falcons road sweep of Lubbock Christian to reach the LSC Postseason. Lucio set a new season high water mark on Tuesday with 48 assists, the second most in a four-set match in the LSC this season, as the Falcons needed back-to-back wins to reach the postseason. The Justin native helped the Falcons in the fourth set as the offense committed just one error in the victory. Lucio also did it on the defensive end setting a career-high Tuesday night with 18 digs, then completely shattered it on Wednesday with 27 to complete the sweep. Lucio currently leads the LSC with 398 assists and is second on the Falcons with 150 digs
Emily Witt, Texas A&M-Kingsville, posted two more double-doubles last week and continued her streak reaching double figures in assists and digs in every match she's appeared in in 2021. On Tuesday, she passed out 30 assists, added 10 digs and hit .636 with seven kills on 11 attacks while the Javelinas swept St. Mary's. One night later, she was credited with 27 helpers and 13 scoops and her line also included four total blocks in another TAMUK win. For the week, Witt averaged 9.50 assists and 3.83 digs per set while contributing to a Javelina offense that hit .272.
Kailyn Gilbreath, Angelo State, was the most versatile player in matches against West Texas A&M, registering 53 assists and averaging 6.63 assists per set. She also was a huge asset on the offense, registering 23 total kills and averaging 2.88 kills per set, finishing with a .200 hitting percentage. Gilbreath was a huge asset on defense as well, registering 13 digs and averaging 1.63 digs per set, and three block assists and averaging .38 blocks per set. Gilbreath finished the match with two service aces as well.
Spencer Plato, Oklahoma Christian, played a key role, averaging 6.13 assists per set, as OC swept a pair of road matches at Cameron to clinch a postseason berth in the revived program’s first season. She had 18 assists (and two aces) in a 3-0 win on Tuesday, a match in which OC posted a season-best .305 attack percentage. In a dramatic 3-2 win on Wednesday, she posted a career-high 31 assists along with two more aces and 14 digs.
Natalie Sarbeck, Texas A&M-Commerce, ran a 6-2 offense all week that averaged 12.86 kills/set in a weekly sweep of DBU. She averaged 5.14 assists per set. She had a double-double Tuesday and had 18 digs on the week, an ace, and a kill.