Laredo, Texas – Thursday night in front of 440 raucous fans, the Texas A&M International University Women’s Volleyball team validated an entire season of hard work, dispatching of Dallas Baptist in four sets (25-16, 20-25, 25-19 and 30-28) and clinching a berth in the Heartland Conference Tournament for the first time since 2007. The win caps off a remarkable turnaround from a season ago, where TAMIU managed only one win.
“Our girls grew up tonight,” said Head Coach Al Givens, “They showed so much maturity in that fourth set keeping their composure even when we were down 28-27. I’m so proud of the way they handled the pressure of the moment with the crowd on their feet and so much at stake and I can’t say enough about the role that our fans played tonight. I want to thank them for coming out and supporting us because they truly gave us the home court advantage”
The Dustdevils front row had a monster night led by Andrea Marshall, who finished with a game high 29 kills and 29 digs. Alex Ciszek was brilliant as well, throwing down 16 kills and adding 16 digs. Outside hitters Miranda Pratt and Katrina Zens each finished with 13 and 11 kills respectively. Junior setter Daria Winckler was a stalwart once again, finishing with a game high 53 assists.
The Dustdevils came into the match locked in a three-way tie with DBU and U.T. Permian Basin with identical 7-5 records. In their first meeting Dallas Baptist was able to top TAMIU in four games, compiling an eight point combined advantage, meaning the Dustdevils had to dispatch of the Patriots in four games or less, with at least a nine point combined advantage to have the edge in a tie-breaker scenario.
After battling their way to a 2-1 set lead, the Dustdevils and the Patriots went punch for punch in a fourth set that included 18 ties and 16 lead changes. DBU took the early advantage jumping out to a 7-3 lead before the Dustdevils rebounded tying the game at ten. Late in the set, the Patriots put the home team one point away from forcing a fifth set taking a 28-27 lead, but the resilient Dustdevils dug deep and responded once again. Miranda Pratt and Daria Winckler blasted back to back kills giving TAMIU a 29-28 advantage. On match point, Katrina Zens sent the crowd into a frenzy, hammering an errant pass to the floor and propelling the Dustdevils into the postseason.
TAMIU remains unbeaten at home in conference matches with a perfect 6-0 record, 8-5 overall in conference play. The Dustdevils can clinch the third seed heading into the tournament with a win over the 12-1 St. Edwards Hilltoppers Saturday, in Laredo.