DENTON, Texas--- Stan State split its final two matches Saturday at the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Corinth-Denton Volleyfest, handing undefeated Southern Nazarene its first loss of the season in five sets before falling to host Texas Woman's in four sets at Kitty Magee Arena.
The Warriors defeated Southern Nazarene 25-23, 17-25, 25-20, 20-25, 15-13 before falling to Texas Woman's 26-24, 22-25, 25-17, 25-15. Stan State finished the Denton Volleyfest with a 1-3 record and returns to California with a 3-4 overall record.
Stan State's victory over Southern Nazarene came less than a day after the Warriors' five-set match against Southern Arkansas did not conclude until shortly after midnight Central Time Friday night. The Warriors played three consecutive five-set matches before Saturday evening's four-set match against Texas Woman's.
Stan State 3, Southern Nazarene 2
Stan State handed undefeated Southern Nazarene its first loss of the season with a five-set victory, 25-23, 17-25, 25-20, 20-25, 15-13. The Crimson Storm fell to 8-1 and finished the Denton Volleyfest with a 3-1 record.
Emily Meyer tied her career high with 14 kills while hitting .300 to lead the Warriors.
Lauren Gonzales finished with 13 kills and 11 digs for her third consecutive double-double, while
Lauren Hamilton recorded 11 kills and hit .474 with four blocks.
Reagan Wilkerson recorded a career-high 43 assists and added 12 digs for her third double-double of the season and fifth of her career.
First Set
Stan State took the opening set 25-23 in a frame featuring nine ties and four lead changes. The Warriors broke a 19-19 tie with three straight points to take a 22-19 lead before holding off the Crimson Storm. Stan State hit .220 while holding Southern Nazarene to .159.
Second Set
Southern Nazarene evened the match with a 25-17 victory. The Crimson Storm jumped out to a 7-1 lead and later led 15-5. Stan State cut the deficit to 15-9 behind a Wilkerson service ace and back-to-back Hamilton kills, but Southern Nazarene maintained control to even the match.
Third Set
Stan State regained the lead with a 25-20 victory. After falling behind 4-0, the Warriors rallied to take a 6-5 lead and later built a 15-8 advantage. Southern Nazarene pulled within 23-20 before
Soraya Forbes and Meyer closed the set with consecutive kills.
Fourth Set
Southern Nazarene forced a deciding fifth set with a 25-20 victory. Stan State led 5-2 early before the Crimson Storm rallied to take the lead midway through the frame. Back-to-back Meyer kills pulled the Warriors within 18-17, but Southern Nazarene answered to close out the set.
Fifth Set
The fifth featured eight ties and three lead changes. Stan State built a 10-6 advantage before Southern Nazarene rallied to take an 11-10 lead. With the Warriors trailing 13-12, Hamilton tied the set with a kill, Gonzales followed with a kill for a 14-13 lead and Hamilton finished the 15-13 victory with a block.
WARRIOR NOTABLES
- Meyer tied her career high with 14 kills while hitting .300.
- Gonzales recorded 13 kills and 11 digs for her third consecutive double-double.
- Wilkerson recorded her third double-double of the season and fifth of her career with a career-high 43 assists and 12 digs. She also had four kills and three service aces.
- Hamilton recorded 11 kills with just two attack errors on 19 attempts for a match-best .474 hitting percentage and added four blocks.
- Fallon Freeman finished with seven kills while hitting .353 and added 10 digs.
- Leah Mendoza led the Warriors with 17 digs.
- Stan State finished with 63 kills and hit .254 for the match.
- The Warriors played their third consecutive five-set match.
Texas Woman's 3, Stan State 1
Stan State closed out the Denton Volleyfest with a four-set loss to host Texas Woman's, 26-24, 22-25, 25-17, 25-15. The Warriors finished the tournament 1-3 and moved to 3-4 overall, while the Pioneers improved to 3-5. The match featured 28 ties and 14 lead changes.
Hamilton led Stan State with 11 kills and hit .409 while adding four blocks. Forbes finished with nine kills and hit .316, while Meyer added nine kills and two blocks. Wilkerson recorded 38 assists and 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the season and sixth of her career, giving her four consecutive double-doubles.
First Set
The opening set featured 12 ties and six lead changes before Texas Woman's edged Stan State 26-24. The Warriors used a 3-0 run to take an 18-15 lead and later held a 22-19 advantage following a Hamilton kill. Texas Woman's answered before Hamilton gave Stan State set point at 24-23, but the Pioneers scored the final three points to take the set.
Second Set
Stan State answered with a 25-22 victory to even the match. Trailing 8-7, the Warriors used a 5-0 run highlighted by kills from Wilkerson, Hamilton, Gonzales and Meyer to take a 12-8 lead. Texas Woman's later took a 22-21 advantage, but Hamilton tied the set with a kill before the Warriors scored the final three points to close out the frame.
Third Set
Texas Woman's regained the match lead with a 25-17 victory. Stan State took an early 4-1 advantage behind kills from Gonzales and Hamilton and a Gonzales service ace, but the Pioneers responded and built a 14-8 lead. The Warriors later cut the deficit to 19-14 before Texas Woman's pulled away.
Fourth Set
Texas Woman's closed out the match with a 25-15 victory. Stan State erased an early 7-3 deficit with six straight points, getting a Hamilton service ace and kills from
Laila Greene and Forbes to take a 9-7 lead. The Pioneers answered with six straight points to regain a 13-9 advantage and pulled away from there.
WARRIOR NOTABLES
- Wilkerson finished with 38 assists and 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the season and sixth of her career. She finished the weekend with four consecutive double-doubles.
- Hamilton led Stan State with 11 kills while hitting .409 and added four blocks.
- Forbes finished with nine kills and three attack errors in 19 attempts for a .316 hitting percentage.
- Meyer added nine kills and two blocks.
- Mendoza led the Warriors with 13 digs.
- With the victory over Southern Nazarene, head coach Lauren Flowers moved into third place on Stan State's all-time coaching wins list. Following the weekend, Flowers is 66-53 during her tenure with the Warriors.
Up Next
Stan State begins CCAA play with three consecutive road matches. The Warriors open conference play Thursday, Sept. 10, at Cal Poly Humboldt at 5 p.m. in Lumberjack Arena in Arcata before traveling to Cal State Dominguez Hills for a 1 p.m. match on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Torodome in Carson.
After a week off, Stan State returns to action Saturday, Sept. 19, at Chico State at 5 p.m. in Art Acker Gymnasium. The Warriors will then play their home opener Thursday, Sept. 24, against San Francisco State at 5 p.m. in Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena. Levi Flores and Michelle Stucker will be on the call for the Warriors' home opener against the Gators. All four matches can be seen live on FloCollege.
