LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA – The University of Incarnate Word volleyball team had another heartbreaking defeat on Saturday afternoon against Southland Conference rival McNeese State losing the match 25-18, 25-21, 24-26, 19-25, 16-14.

The loss dropped the Cardinals (7-16, 5-9) to 2-4 in five set matches this year.  Three of their last four matches have gone to five sets with UIW coming out on top once.

The first set started out competitively.  After a kill from Autumn Lockley (Leander/Leander HS) tied the set at 10-10, the Cowgirls (12-17, 7-7) went on a four-point run to take control of the set. The Cardinals were never able to threaten after the run.

In the second set, the Cardinals fell behind 9-4, but they managed to come back to within16-15 after a kill from Sarea Alexander (San Antonio/MacArthur HS).  McNeese State would respond with a run of their own after almost losing their lead with the help of several errors from the Cardinals to gain a 24-19 advantage.  The Cardinals would score three straight points late, but the comeback attempt was not enough as the Cowgirls won the second set 25-21 to take a 2-0 match lead.

The third set was a different story for the Cardinals as they narrowly won their first set of the day.  The set was neck and neck the entire way and neither team could take advantage of opportunities to pull away.  Late in the set, Lockley tied the score at 23-23 with an important kill to give the Cardinals a chance to win the set. After the kill, the Cardinals would take the lead, 24-23 thanks to an attack error on the Cowgirls. Taylor McClelland (Cypress/Cypress Ranch HS) sealed the set victory for UIW with a service ace to give the Cardinals a 26-24 set win.

The Cardinals came out in the fourth with the momentum of the third set victory. UIW had a 15-12 lead midway through the set and they controlled the tempo of the set the entire way. The Cardinals closed the set victory with a kill from Bryaunea Hall (Copperas Cove/Copperas Cove HS) and a service ace from Kaitlyn Brooks (Sugar Land/Fort Bend Austin HS) to give the team a 25-19 set victory to tie the match 2-2.

 In the final set of the match, the Cardinals jumped out to a 6-3 lead early on, but the Cowgirls made a run and tied the set up at 7-7.  After tying the set, McNeese State would take control of the set and they would eventually win 16-14 for the 3-2 match victory.

For the match, Lockley was the offensive star for the Cardinals with 16 kills and a .316 attacking percentage.  Madison Williams (New Braunfels/Canyon HS) also had a very productive match with 12 kills and a .476 attacking percentage while Hall added 10 kills.  Brooks and McClelland directed the offense with 33 and 26 assists, respectively. Jordan Reifsteck (Allen/Oswego East HS) led the team defensively with 17 digs.  As a team, the Cardinals had 67 kills with a .278 attacking percentage and 63 digs.

The Cardinals return to action on November 17 against Northwestern State in Natchitoches, LA.
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