The No. 14 WTAMU Lady Buffs volleyball team went on the road to take on the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Javelinas on Oct. 15. WT swept the match 25-16, 25-22 and 25-18, improving their record to 21-2 and 12-1 in the Lone Star Conference.

The opening set was back and forth until TAMUK tied the score at 11 all. The Lady Buffs went on a 9-3 run to take a 20-14 lead. WT finished the set by outscoring the Javelinas 5-2.

TAMUK built a 17-14 lead during the second set. WT would rally by scoring 11 of the next 17 points to win the set 25-22. Continue reading →

The No.14 WTAMU Lady Buffs volleyball team hosted the Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions on Oct. 6 at The Box. WT swept the match 25-16, 25-14 and 27-25, extending their home winning streak to 23 games.

After the Lions scored the first two points of the first set, the Lady Buffs went on a 5-0 run to make the score 5-2. With a 13-10 lead, WT finished the set with a 12-6 run to win 25-16.

“Since Tarleton, Abilene and Angelo, we noticed a pattern of starting slow, so we’ve been working on that,” Head Coach Jason Skoch said.

The Lady Buffs opened the second set by scoring the first four points. With the score at 8-7, WT got hot and went on a 12-2 run to take a 20-9 lead. TAMUC battled to the finish, but fell a bit short as the Lady Buffs won the set 25-14.

Both teams went almost point-for-point throughout the entire third set. The Lions came within one point of taking the game to a fourth set with a 22-24 lead. WT rallied to score five of the next six points and ended the match 27-25.

“We seem to be more steady under pressure,” said Skoch. “We put them in situations like this in practice where they have to come from behind and win, and it’s good to see that it’s paying off.”

Junior Ashley Davis led the Lady Buffs with 17 kills in the match. Junior Stormi Lancaster racked up 15 kills on the night. Junior Lauren Beville registered 12 digs for WT, and LSC assist leader junior Lacy Hayes dished out 43 assists.

The No.14 WTAMU Lady Buff volleyball team participated in the Pitt-State South Central Regional Crossover on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in Pittsburg, Kan. The Lady Buffs won their first three matches, but fell against Central Missouri in straight sets.

WT opened the weekend by defeating the host team Pittsburg State 25-14, 25-19 and 25-18. The Lady Buffs and Gorillas alternated scoring until WT went on an 8-0 run to build a 19-9 lead in the first set. The second and third sets played out in similar ways. Junior Sarah Martin had 16 kills, junior Lauren Beville had 23 digs and junior Lacy Hayes registered 41 assists.

“We matched their energy and effort, but executed at a high level,” Head Coach Jason Skoch said. Continue reading →

The No.17 WTAMU Lady Buff volleyball team rebounded after losing their NCAA-record conference winning streak. They picked up a sweep against the Midwestern State University Mustangs on Sept. 20, posting scores of 25-15, 25-14 and 28-26. WT is now 11-1, and 5-1 in Lone Star Conference play.

The first two sets were almost identical to each other. WT and MSU went back and forth for the first few points, and then the Lady Buffs would pull away. WT controlled the tempo throughout most of the first two sets.

That would change in the third set, however. The Lady Buffs jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead, but the Mustangs answered quickly. MSU had leads of 22-20 and 24-22, before WT rallied for the 28-26 set win.

“I feel they don’t know how to close a team out and finish so when the team keeps around they tense up,” Head Coach Jason Skoch said.

The Lady Buffs will face Texas A&M-Commerce at home on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.

For the first time since the fall of 2006, the WTAMU Lady Buffs were on the losing side of a NCAA match this weekend, ending their record winning streak at 87 after a five set game.

The Lady Buffs traveled to Tarleton State University on Sept. 17 to take on the TexAnns in front of about 200 fans. The game ended after five sets with scores of 25-22, 23-25, 23-25, 25-14, and 11-15.

The match had similarities to the game against TSU last season that allowed WT to break the NCAA record at 78 matches, including a five set battle. The similarities continued during the first set as WT topped TSU 25-23. Continue reading →

On Sept. 13, The No. 13 WTAMU Lady Buff volleyball team hosted the Zias of Eastern New Mexico University. The Lady Buffs swept the match 25-18, 25-11 and 25-17. WT improved to 10-0 and 4-0 in the Lone Star Conference. The win also was the 87^th consecutive conference win for WT.

The Lady Buffs had their share of struggles throughout the entire match. There were stretches where WT had a hard time scoring, and the ball just seemed to fall in the right place for the Zias.

“That score does not show how good [ENMU] is,” Coach Jason Skoch said.

When most teams go on long winning streaks, they say they are trying to put it out of their minds. The Lady Buffs, on the other hand, do think about continuing their NCAA-record conference winning streak.

“We definitely don’t want to break [the streak],” junior Lacy Hayes said.

WT will return to the site where they broke the NCAA record last season as they take on the Tarleton State TexAnns on Sept. 17 at 2 p.m. in Stephenville, Texas.

The No. 21 ranked WTAMU Lady Buff volleyball team hosted the Lady Buff Invitational on Sept. 9 and 10 at The Box. WT completed sweeps of Wayland Baptist, Incarnate Word, Valdosta State and Texas A&M-Kingsville. After sweeping all four matches, the Lady Buffs improved to 9-0 overall, and 3-0 in LSC play, extending their conference win streak to 86 in a row.

WT opened the weekend by sweeping the Wayland Baptist Pioneers. The Lady Buffs won by scores of 25-22, 25-15 and 25-14. The Pioneers scored first in every set, but WT was able to quickly rebound and take the lead.

“I didn’t see a sense of urgency. We’re too one-dimensional. When you’re one-dimensional, you have a higher chance of getting knocked out of the playoffs early,” said Coach Jason Skoch.

The nightcap pitted WT against the University of Incarnate Word Cardinals. The Lady Buffs picked up another sweep with scores of 25-19, 25-10 and 25-13. The Lady Buffs played their most complete game of the season and got better as the match went along. Continue reading →

The WTAMU Lady Buffs opened their season with four wins at the Lady Buff Classic. The event took place on Sept. 2 and 3. WT’s first game came against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats, followed by matches against the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions, the Missouri Western Griffons, and the Western State College Mountaineers.

The Lady Buffs got their first win of the tournament and season Friday morning against SBU. WT swept the match in three sets, 25-19, 25-19, and 25-2. The Lady Buffs’ impressive performance in the third set came as a surprise to many, including their coach.

“I didn’t see it coming. We were getting better as the set went along,”  Coach Jason Skoch said. Continue reading →