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Morgan Breaks LSC Record As Lady Buffs Upset by Lubbock Christian In Five Thursday
Oct. 30, 2003
It was a bittersweet night for the West Texas A&M University volleyball team Thursday, as senior setter Kendra Morgan broke the Lone Star Conference career assists record and logged her fifth triple-double of the season. The bad news was that the Lady Buffs were upset by Lubbock Christian in five-games (30-27, 28-30, 28-30, 30-18, 15-11), snapping WTAMU's 40-match win streak in The Box.
Morgan tallied 67 assists, to give her 5,807 career assists, passing the 5,790 assists by Sarah Steinmetz of Texas Woman's from 1993-96.
Morgan added 22 digs and 10 kills to register her fifth triple-double of the season. She racked up a triple-double against Lubbock Christian in the teams' first meeting, a five-game affair won by the Lady Buffs in Lubbock, Texas on Sept. 9.
Freshman outside hitter/middle blocker Ambra Clark logged a match-high 23 kills, tying her season-high for the third time. Freshman outside hitter Rachel Altman tallied a season-high 21 kills.
Fellow freshman, middle blocker Megan Spivey added 15 kills and had a team-high eight blocks.
Senior libero Kacie Hyatt posted a match-high 24 digs, one of five Lady Buffs in double-digit digs.
However, Lubbock Christian counterattacked with five players with 11 or more kills, led by sisters Holly and Beth Ratliff's 18 kills apiece. Holly Ratliff logged a match-high .421 hitting percentage. Stacy Simpson added 17 kills, followed by Meagan Kamplain with 13 kills and Megan McCormick's 11 kills.
The Chaparrals played scrappy defense, and had six players with double-digit digs, led by Simpson's 23 digs. McCormick tallied a match-high nine blocks, all assists, leading LCU to 13 total team blocks, the same as WTAMU.
The loss was the Lady Buffs' first-ever to the Chaparrals, as WTAMU now leads the all-time series 13-1-1.
LCU jumped out to a 7-1 lead in game one, after two-straight WTAMU attacks sailed deep and not playable, out-of-bounds.
Clark led the Lady Buffs' charge as they rallied to tie it at 11-11 with a kill. However the Chaparrals pulled away to 14-11 on a kill from Simpson.
WTAMU rallied again behind Clark, who started a 5-0 run with a kill and teamed up with sophomore middle blocker Cynthia Carter for two-straight blocks.
Spivey gave the Lady Buffs' their biggest lead of game one at 26-19 with a kill. LCU closed to 27-26 before WTAMU pulled away and Clark ended game one in the Lady Buffs' favor with her seventh-kill of the first stanza, 30-27.
Game two was tight off the back, until the Lady Buffs had an 11-7 lead and opened a 19-13 lead after a kill from freshman outside hitter Jessica Scherr.
WTAMU took a 28-24 lead after LCU hit into the net, but couldn't close the door, as the Chaparrals scored the next six points to win game two, 30-28, capped by an ace from Mandy Moffit.
The Lady Buffs opened a 3-0 lead in the third game, but couldn't extend their lead to anything more than three points. The Chaparrals tied it at 12-12 before three-straight Spivey kills made it 15-12. Down 17-14, LCU reeled off four-straight points to overtake WTAMU and pulled away to win the third game 30-28.
The fourth frame was identical to the previous one, as the teams were tied 9-9. The Lady Buffs scored the next point on a kill from Carter off an assist from Morgan, her 51st of the match and setting the LSC career assists record.
WTAMU reeled off nine-straight point to open a 18-9 lead and extended it to 23-13 after a kill from Carter.
Spivey took control of action of the net to close out the game, as she had a solo block before teaming with Altman and then junior outside hitter Jill Steininger for blocks and the Lady Buffs' won, 30-18. Steininger came off the bench and was influential in sparking the WTAMU's game four rally.
However, it was the Chaparrals who rallied in game five, taking over from the start, jumping to a 7-4 lead. Morgan capped her triple-double with a kill to make the score 7-5. Yet Simpson had a kill to put LCU up 8-5 and the teams made the game-five customary switch.
The Chaparrals opened a 13-8 lead before WTAMU drew to 13-10 after a kill by Spivey. However, two kills by Kamplain sandwiched around a kill by Steininger, to set off LCU's celebration and WTAMU's heartbreak, at 15-11.
The Lady Buffs have to regroup in a hurry, as they return to the court Friday in an LSC showdown with Abilene Christian on "Pack The Box Night" at 7 p.m. It's a match-up of the top two teams in the LSC South division, and the winner will be in the driver's seat for claiming the number one seed in the South and hosting the conference tournament Nov. 13-15.
WTAMU will honor its two seniors, Morgan and Hyatt, with a pre-match ceremony.
Saturday, the Lady Buffs host Angelo State at 2 p.m. in a revenge match, as ASU stopped WTAMU's NCAA-II record for consecutive victories vs. conference opponents at 77-straight.
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