LAWTON – The Cameron volleyball team returns home to take on No. 18 UT Tyler on Friday and A&M-Commerce on Saturday while also hosting a pair of promotional events.
The Aggies face a pair of tough Lone Star Conference opponents this weekend in front of the home crowd at the Aggie Gym. As they host the Patriots and Lions, Cameron is still searching for their first conference win and trying to snap a 15-match losing skid.
PROMOTIONAL MATCHES
Friday night is Cameron's annual "Dig Pink" match as they join programs from around the country in support of the breast cancer awareness campaign. Saturday, CU welcomes all first responders and medical professionals to the match to show their appreciation. Recognition for both matches will be during the sets one and two break.
LOOKING BACK
Tuesday, the Aggies had a rare mid-week match against Southern Nazarene, a contest in which they had plenty of chances to win, but eventually lost in four sets. After losing the first set 25-17, Cameron rallied for a 25-21 win in the second. They then led late in the third, but costly errors led to a 27-25 loss. SNU then won a tight 25-23 battle to claim the match win. The Aggies totaled nine service aces with four from freshman
Noemie Narbonne and three from
Arianna Navarrete.
Bergen Campbell led the offense with 14 kills while
Jacee Stelter added 12.
Anjolie Navarrete had a team-best 23 assists and Narbonne added 19.
ABOUT THE AGGIES
Cameron is averaging just 9.5 kills per set while hitting .116 on the attack. They have stayed in matches with their 1.8 blocks per set, which is near the middle of the LSC rankings.
Jessica Lipkit leads the defensive efforts with 42 total blocks, while
Taylor Hervey has 29, Ar. Navarrete has 23, and Campbell has blocked 21 balls this season. Ar. Navarrete also leads the team with 17 aces, 144 kills, and 138 digs. Cameron has had to use three young setters this season with Narbonne leading the group with 4.19 assists per set to go along with 16 aces.
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
The top-25 ranked UT Tyler Patriots enter the weekend with a perfect 10-0 record, including six wins against league opponents. They average 15.6 kills per set and hit .259 on the attack. That offense is powered by Mikayla Ware, with 4.09 kills per set, and Christina Escamilla, who averaged 3.58 with a .486 attack percentage. Callie Craus and Taylor Stoops orchestrate the attack from the setter position with Craus leading the team with 14 aces. Ware also averages 4.12 digs per set with Savannah Guzman leading the squad with 5.03 digs on average. Maiya Pena (27.0) and Hattie Murray (16.0) lead UTT on the block.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Usually a powerhouse in the LSC, A&M-Commerce has gotten off to an unusual start by their standards, posting a 4-7 overall record and a 3-3 conference mark. They still have a powerful offense, hitting .206 with 13.4 kills per set, but average just 1.7 blocks per set on defense. Junior Nicki Gonelli leads the team with 3.06 kills per set, while Essence Allen and Maddy Rashford have both recorded over 95 kills this season. Celeste Vela, who has been one of the top setters in the LSC over the past few years, currently ranks second in the LSC with 10.02 assists per frame. Sophomore Maiya Dickie has been the Lions' top threat at the net, blocking 36 attacks in 42 sets played.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next week, the Aggies make their longest trip of the season as they visit Western New Mexico on Thursday, Oct. 14. They then stop in Odessa, Texas on Saturday, Oct. 16, to face off against UT Permian Basin.
