LAWTON – Fans at the Aggie Gym on Friday night were treated to five sets of Lone Star Conference volleyball as Cameron battled Eastern New Mexico but were unable to secure their first league win.
For just the second time this season, the Aggie volleyball team went all the way to five sets (Sep. 3, 3-2 over Minot State), but this time the final frame went the way of CU's opponents. Friday night's battle featured two teams who played tougher than what either of their records suggested.
In the box score, ENMU had the more efficient match on the attack, hitting .171 while CU hit .141 on the other side of the floor. They also collected two more aces than the home squad (8-6), but the Black and Gold blocked 11 balls at the net, compared to the Greyhound's eight.
Arianna Navarrete led CU with 20 points, totaling 17 kills, two aces, and two blocks to go along with her six digs. She also hit .216, while freshman
Jacee Stelter hit .222 and had 10 kills and four blocks of her own.
Setters
Desiree Marmolejo and
Noemie Narbonne combined for 39 assists and 16 digs, while libero
Presley Shearin had a team-high 21 digs and
Bergen Campbell added 15.
Jessica Lipkit tied Stelter and
Caitlyn Henderson with a CU-best four blocks each.
Cameron's attack was on fire in the opening set, hitting .400 with 14 kills, compared to just two errors. They used a 5-1 stretch capped by a kill by Stelter to take an 15-8 lead and force an ENMU timeout midway through the frame. From there, they cruised to the 25-18 win to take the early lead in the match.
After battling back and forth for most of set two, the Greyhounds were able to take a 22-15 lead thanks to an 8-2 stretch. Cameron made their opponents sweat by getting back to within four thanks to a big block by Henderson, but Navarrete was called in the net on the next play to give Eastern the 25-20 win and tie the match.
In set three, it was Cameron who led big late (24-18) and Eastern New Mexico who rallied to make the home crowd sweat. The Greyhounds scored four straight at set point to get to 24-22, but Stelter put them away on a kill to give CU a 25-22 win and a 2-1 lead.
The Aggies had trouble putting together rallies in the fourth, which allowed ENMU to own a 20-12 lead late in the frame. The Aggies finally got something going when they used a 5-2 swing capped by a
Natalia Araujo kill to force a timeout at 22-17. The Hounds came out of the break and scored three straight to win 25-17 and force a fifth set.
Eastern New Mexico carried their momentum into the fifth, scoring the first five points before a Navarrete kill got CU on the board. The two teams traded points until a 4-1 run by ENMU gave them an 11-6 advantage. The Aggies scored three straight to get withing two, but the road team scored four of the final five points to win 15-10 and take the match.
The tough loss extends Cameron's losing skid to 21 matches as they sit at 1-22 on the year and 0-11 in league play. It doesn't get any easier on Saturday as they host No. 25 West Texas A&M for a 4 p.m. first serve.
