Krista Pylant
Sports Editor
@KristaPylant8
The Cameron volleyball team came close to earning their first conference win of the season, but two points proved to be the difference in their final set against Tarleton State on Sept. 13 at the Aggie Gym.
Both teams traded sets, (20-25, 25-14, 14-25, 25-23), before taking the match into a fifth and final set that ended in a 14-16 loss for the Aggies.
According to Cameron Head Coach, Qi Wang, errors late in the game resulted in the overturned match, but despite the loss, the Aggies still gained experience.
“This was part of the process of learning how to win matches against good teams,” Wang said in a press release. “At the end of the day, we had a chance, but mistakes cost us late. Our effort was there this afternoon, but again, we couldn’t finish the match.”
In set five, Cameron rallied back from a 14-9 Tarleton lead after scoring five unanswered points to even the set at 14 each. However, two back-to-back kills from TSU’s Hailey Roberts pushed the score to 14-16 and gave the TexAnns the victory.
Cameron’s Kat Evans and Paige Holt led the Aggies in kills with Evans recording 14 and Holt 12. Jordan Escobar and Rebecca Green each ended the night with 7 before Escobar left the match halfway through the fifth set after a collision with a teammate dislocated her toe.
Defensively, Shannon DuLaney and Kayla Hebert each performed 16 digs and Rebecca Green carried out 8 blocks for the Black and Gold. At the service line, Ingrid Boatman stood out with 30 aces total in all five sets.
The previous night, Cameron played against fellow Lone Star Conference team Angelo State before a crowd of 580 for their season home opener.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, they dropped the match in three straight sets, (25-23, 25-17, 25-22), to the #25 Rambelles.
In a press release, Wang said that the team appreciated the crowd’s support, but in the end, the Aggie’s could not string together enough points to get the win.
“Our effort was there, but Angelo State is a good program and, we couldn’t sustain a long enough run to stop them,” Wang said.
This weekend’s losses now bring the Aggies to a 0-2 conference record and 3-3 overall.