September 18, 2012

A&M-Commerce Lions vs. Texas Woman's Pioneers
Tuesday, September 18 • 7 p.m.
The Field House • Commerce, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (9-1, 2-0 LSC); Texas Woman's (8-2, 2-0 LSC)
Live Stats: LionAthletics.com
Twitter Updates: @Lion_Athletics

Opening Serve
After opening the 2012 season on the road for the first three weeks, A&M-Commerce finally gets a welcome dose of home cooking as the Lions take to the court at the Field House for the first time. A&M-Commerce kicks off a four-match homestand with a big game against Highway 380 rival Texas Woman's as the opening serve against the Pioneers will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday evening.

Gold-Out Against the Pioneers
With Tuesday's match against Texas Woman's marking the home opener of the 2012 season, it also marks volleyball's Gold Out match. Fans who picked up a gold PRIDE t-shirt at either the soccer or football Gold Out games are encouraged to wear it as fans wearing their gold t-shirts will be chosen for promotions throughout the match. Lion fans who weren't able to pick up their gold PRIDE t-shirts previously will be able to do so at the match.

Lions Match Best Start Since 2002
A&M-Commerce hasn't let the long miles bother them much this season as the Lions are 9-1 through the first 10 games of the season, matching the 1982, 1987 and 2002 squads for the second-best start through the first 10 matches of the season. Only the 1986 (12-0) and 1988 (11-0) teams went undefeated through the first 10 games of the year. A&M-Commerce has made quick work of their opponents as well as seven of the Lions' nine victories on the season have been 3-0 sweeps.

Scouting the Pioneers
2012: 8-2 overall, 2-0 Lone Star Conference (T-1st), 2-1 in road games
Last Three Matches: W at Incarnate Word (3-1), W at Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-0), L at Colorado Mesa (3-1)
Head Coach: Shelly Barbaree (Stephen F. Austin State Univ., 1994). Ninth season at Texas Woman's (155-150, .508); 14th season overall (357-231, .607)
Key Players:
• Viktorija Jablonska (Sr., RS): 120 kills, .272 hitting pct., 81 assists, 12 service aces, 75 digs, 21 blocks
• Chloe' Tate (Jr., MB): 87 kills, .290 hitting pct., 14 digs, 34 blocks
• Marcela Alves (Jr., MB): 67 kills, .221 hitting pct., 18 digs, 29 blocks
• Courtnee Davis (Jr., OH): 54 kills, .141 hitting pct., 94 digs, 10 blocks
• Kayla Rivero (So., S): 240 assists, 5 service aces, 79 digs
• Morgan Wilson (So., L): 152 digs, 10 service aces, 7 assists
Synopsis: Led by the reigning Lone Star Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year in Jablonska, Texas Woman's sits atop the LSC standings with A&M-Kingsville after defeating both Texas A&M-Kingsville and Incarnate Word last weekend. The Pioneers won six-straight matches to open the season, falling only to nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa.

Series Information: A&M-Commerce and Texas Woman's meet for the 67th time Tuesday evening with the Lions holding a 38-28 edge in the all-time series. A&M-Commerce won a pair of tough matches against Texas Woman's in 2011, defeating the Pioneers in five in Denton before a thrilling 3-0 sweep at the Field House.

The Week That Was
A&M-Commerce opened up Lone Star Conference play with a pair of key 3-0 sweeps at Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Kingsville this past weekend. Against the Cardinals, Ezon Onditi led the way with 10 kills and a .500 hitting percentage, while Breanne Snyder and Rachel Robertson paced the offense against the Javelinas with 15 and 10 kills, respectively. On the weekend, setter Jordan Neal recorded 63 assists in just six sets to complement her 23 digs, seven aces and five blocks while libero Michaela Spicer notched 31 digs to anchor the Lion backrow.

Robertson Closing In On History
Senior middle blocker Rachel Robertson continues to make a name for herself among the A&M-Commerce all-time greats. Robertson recorded her 1,000 th career kill against Ouachita Baptist on Sept. 7, becoming the ninth player in program history to join the exclusive club. A two-time LSC Offensive Player of the Week in 2012, Robertson has also climbed the charts among the Lions' all-time kill leaders, sitting fourth with 1,084 and is 243 shy of matching third-place Alice Fortes' career tally of 1,327.

Lions Among the Lone Star Conference Leaders
A&M-Commerce ranks among the tops in the Lone Star Conference in a handful of categories both as a team and as individuals. For the Lions as a whole, A&M-Commerce continues to lead the LSC in service aces (2.17) while sitting second in hitting percentage (.230), third in kills (13.46) and fourth in blocks (1.91). The Lions also rank fifth in opponent hitting percentage (.150) and assists (11.77). Individually, five Lions rank among the conference leaders in six different categories as Rachel Robertson continues to lead the Lone Star Conference in hitting percentage, kills and points.

Hitting Percentage:	Rachel Robertson	1st	.408
Kills:	Rachel Robertson	1st	3.77
Assists:	Jordan Neal	3rd	10.49
Service Aces:	Breanne Snyder	3rd	0.53
	Rachel Robertson	4th	0.43
	Jordan Neal	T-7th	0.37
Digs:	Michaela Spicer	7th	4.49
Points:	Rachel Robertson	1st	4.70

 

Looking Ahead
A&M-Commerce continues its homestand this weekend when it welcomes West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico to the Field House. The Lady Buffs, the reigning LSC champions, make their yearly trip to Commerce for a 5 p.m. opening tip Friday afternoon, followed by the showdown with the Zias at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Please note the early start time for the Friday match which was designed not to conflict with the women's soccer game which begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday evening.