Aggies fall short against #22 West Texas A&M

MATCH BOXSCORE >>

LAWTON, OK (Sept. 10) - Cameron won the first set of Friday night's volleyball showdown with 22nd-ranked West Texas A&M, but couldn't keep the momentum. The Lady Buffs rallied for a 3-1 victory, thier 11th straight over the Aggies since 1999, in action at the Cameron Coca-Cola Classic.

Coach Kim Vinson's squad took Game 1, 30-24, but dropped the next three 30-23, 30-24, 30-17, to fall to 1-8 overall. It was the first loss for Cameron in a home opener since dropping a four-set decision to Texas Woman's University on Sept. 11, 1996. West Texas improved to 7-3.

Cameron grabbed the early momentum by limiting West Texas to a .000 attack percentage (10 kills against 10 errors) in the opening set. The Aggies capitalized on kills by Morgan Meyer and Tayler Turner to pull away and grab the early match lead.

But West Texas gradually improved its offense and eliminated early errors to gain control. The Lady Buffs improved their team attack percentage in each game of the match, culminating with a .485 effort (18 kills and two errors in 33 attempts) in the clinching fourth set.

Turner paced the Aggies with 13 kills and a .321 attack percentage for the match, adding 10 digs and two blocks. Meyer added 12 kills, while setter Vicki Ibarra dished out 32 assists. Senior libero Jenny Head led all players in the match with 28 digs.

Three West Texas players registered double-digit kills, led by Ambra Clark's match-high 16. Jessica Scherr added 11 kills and 25 digs, while setter Erin Houlihan tallied 44 assists.

In other first-day action at the Cameron Coca-Cola Classic, unranked Missouri Southern stunned West Texas in straight sets to open the tournament. The Lions followed that with a 3-0 loss to Central Oklahoma.

Cameron will face Missouri Southern on Saturday at noon. The event concludes with a 2:30 p.m., matchup between Central Oklahoma and West Texas A&M. Both contests will be played at Cameron's Aggie Gym.