CU’s season ends with Red River Showdown loss
For Immediate Release
November 16, 2019
Cameron University Athletics
Kenton Means – Sports Information Director
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – The Cameron volleyball team was unable to secure their spot in the Lone Star Conference Tournament on Saturday, as their 3-1 loss to Red River Rival Midwestern State ended CU’s season.
The Black and Gold entered the day a game back of the Mustangs in the division standings and needed a win to tie them and earn a spot in the conference tournament. However, CU struggled on the attack and at the service line in the four-set loss.
Cameron hit just .093 with 41 kills on Saturday, while also totaling 9.0 blocks on the defensive end. They only had three service aces on the day and had 12 serves result in errors. In comparison, the Mustangs hit .184 on the attack and had 13.0 total blocks and nine aces.
Sarah Wright led the Aggies with 13 kills on a .216 attack percentage, while also adding eight digs in the loss. Arianna Navarrete chipped in with nine kills on a .156 percentage. Katherine Manning led CU in assists with 19, while Desiree Marmolejo recorded 16 assists for the Aggies.
Peyton Little led CU with 13 digs and two service aces and Kirsten Evans added 10 digs, while Caitlyn Henderson and Riana Blount had a team-high four blocks each and Walia Franklin and Maya Hill each had three total blocks.
The Mustangs controlled set one from first serve. After jumping out to an 8-0 advantage, MSU had the upper hand and led by 11 halfway through the frame, 17-6. Cameron got back to within seven at 19-12, but the Mustangs kept up their strong play and closed out the set on a 6-1 stretch to win 25-13.
Cameron bounced back with a back and forth second set that saw nine ties and three lead changes. After taking a 10-7 lead thanks to a five-point rally, Cameron found themselves on the trailing end when Midwestern scored seven in a row to lead 14-10. CU was able to come back and tie the score at 20-all late in the set. The Aggies mounted a 4-2 stretch to reach set-point, but MSU answered by tying the score at 24. After trading scores, the Aggies earned the 27-25 set win thanks to a kill from Navarrete and a block by Blount.
The third set was close through the first 24 points as an MSU kill by Rachel Howes tied the set at 12. CU took the lead on an MSU service error, but that was short lived as the home team scored seven in a row to go up 19-13. The Aggies got right back in it, cutting the deficit to two on a kill by Wright, but MSU answered with five points in a row to end the set 25-18 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Cameron fell behind early in the fourth, and before they knew it, trailed 21-10 to their rival from Wichita Falls. The Aggies then mounted a 9-2 run that got them to within four points. After MSU reached set-point in the next play, a service error put CU back to within four at 24-20. However, the Mustangs closed out the set and the match on a kill by Lauren Honeycutt that ended the Aggies season.
After Saturday’s loss, CU finishes the season with a 6-23 overall record, a 2-16 mark against LSC opponents, and a 1-9 record against their division.