Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Nacogdoches, TX – The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team continued play in the Holiday Inn-Express SFA Volleyball Invitational on Friday as the team started out the day with a 3-0 defeat against North Texas and finished the day with a five set loss against Little Rock in Shelton Gym.
 
The Cardinals (4-9, 1-1) started the day with a matchup against North Texas (5-7, 0-0) and the UIW attack struggled for the second consecutive match. The first set came down to the wire and it would set the tone for the rest of the match. The opening set featured four lead changes and 11 tied scores throughout as neither team could separate itself from the other. However, after a kill from Autumn Lockley (Leander, TX. Leander) tied the score at 24-24, the Mean Green would get consecutive kills from Amanda Chamberlain and Holly Milam to win the set 26-24 and take an early 1-0 match lead.
 
After squeezing out the first set victory, the North Texas attack came out firing in the second set and they registered 13 kills with a .323 attacking percentage. The Cardinals started the set with back-to-back kills from Cameron Edwards (League City, TX/ Clear Springs) and Bryaunea Hall (Copperas Cove, TX/ Copperas Cove) to take the early 2-0 advantage, but the Mean Green stormed back with a five-point run and took control of the set on their way to a 25-15 set victory.
 
To start the third set, UIW once again strikes first after a service ace from Madison Williams (New Braunfels, TX/ Canyon) although North Texas battled back and held the lead for the remainder of the set. The Cardinals could not overcome 10 errors in the third, while the Mean Green posted a .455 hitting percentage as they took the set 25-11.
 
Hall led the Cardinals attack with six kills and a team high .214 attacking percentage. Lockley added eight kills on 36 total attacks while the Cardinals had 28 kills as a team with a .074 attacking percentage. Williams had 25 assists and Shaina Garza (San Antonio, TX/ Warren) led the UIW defense with eight digs. For North Texas, Alexis Wright led the attack with 12 kills and Chamberlain added 10 kills and three blocks.
 
In the second match of the day, the Cardinals went up against Little Rock and it took five set to decide the winner. The cardinals started out slow dropping the first set 25-15, but came out energized in the second. The team used a late run scoring five out of the last six points to win the second set 25-19 and tie the match at 1-1.
 
The Trojans responded by winning the third set 25-17 after UIW committed 10 errors. However, needing to win the fourth set to continue the match, the Cardinals showed great determination after the set was tied 25-25. Two attacking errors from Little Rock propelled UIW to the 27-25 victory.
 
In the fifth set, the Cardinals started out well but a late run from the Trojans doomed the match for UIW as Little Rock scored the final four points of the set for the 15-12 victory.
 
Lockley led the Cardinals with 19 kills and she also had 17 digs to lead the defense as well. Hall also played well with 12 kills and a .296 hitting percentage and Williams once again directed the UIW attack with a team high 23 assists.
 
The Cardinals return to action on September 24^th as they host Abilene Christian starting at 11 a.m. in the McDermott Center.