The volleyball team continued down the slippery slope of defeat this past weekend, dropping a close, five-set match to Texas A&M-Kingsville Friday 3-2, and a four-set match Saturday against Incarnate Word, 3-1 20-25 25-20, 25-18, 25-20.
The players struggled with errors against both teams, giving up 19 points off of mistakes in their losing sets to the Lady Javelinas, including the deciding point in the fifth set, and 22 points off of mistakes to the Lady Cardinals in losing sets.
Each match could have gone either way, and often leaned in favor of the Lady Mustangs until the errors started piling up.
In the match against Kingsville, the team battled, winning the first and third sets 25-20 and 25-15.
The Kingsville players fought their way back into the match with second and fourth set victories. That fourth set victory led to their last charge led by Dedra Brown to pick up the 15-6 fifth set victory, but it did not come without a few errors from the Lady Mustangs that included three of the last four points, including the match point.
Beatriz Villalba led the Lady Mustangs in their fight against Kingsville with 10 kills, two blocks and two aces. Kasey Decker added nine kills and three blocks of her own, and Kristen Aduddell chipped in 18 assists and 13 digs.
The Lady Mustangs’ outing on Saturday against Incarnate Word did not go to five sets, but it seemed like the same story all over again.
MSU once again started with a 25-20 first set victory, but could not find a way to follow it up, dropping the following three sets 25-20, 25-18, 25-20.
In each of those sets, the Lady Mustangs would hold anywhere from a five to two point lead over the Lady Cardinals, but errors and great play from Incarnate Word’s Kelci Lind (13 kills, 2 blocks), prevented them from taking another set victory.
Courtney Haney played a great game for the Lady Mustangs with eight kills, two aces, two blocks, 13 digs and 25 assists. Beatriz Villalba chipped in eight kills of her own, as well as three blocks. Michelle Blount also had eight kills, and added in five blocks.
The Lady Mustangs stand at 4-19 on the season and a 2-11 record in Lone Star Conference Play.
The team played Eastern New Mexico on Tuesday and their road trip finishes this weekend as they play Texas Woman’s University Friday and Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday.