Volleyball Splits Rivalry Series in Top-Conference Clash with the Saints

TEXARKANA, Texas – The Texas A&M University–Texarkana volleyball team hosted one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the Red River Athletic Conference season this weekend, welcoming conference rival and fellow unbeaten, Our Lady of the Lake University, to the Patterson Student Center. The two programs entered the weekend atop the RRAC standings, each carrying undefeated conference records into the crucial two-match series.

Friday night's matchup lived up to the hype, stretching to a full five sets in front of a packed Patterson Student Center. Both sides traded points early, with the Eagles narrowly falling 27–25 in the opening set. The Saints continued to edge ahead with a 25–21 win in the second, but TAMUT responded with a dominant 25–20 victory in the third to extend the match. The Eagles forced a deciding fifth set after grinding out a 25–21 win in the fourth. Despite the late surge, OLLU managed to escape with the narrow 15–12 fifth-set victory, handing the Eagles their first conference loss of the season.

Senior Paulina Dobreva led the Eagles offensively with 14 kills and added 23 digs in a stellar two-way performance. Kaitlyn Cabral followed with 11 kills, while Kelby Coutee and Flor Lazo chipped in eight apiece. Setters Ashley Rhame and Zoe Martinez combined for 45 assists, distributing the ball evenly across TAMUT's attack. Defensively, Lauren Herz anchored the back row with 21 digs, and Macyen Doskocil added key points at the net, registering six total points on the evening.

The Eagles returned to the court Saturday afternoon determined to even the series—and they did just that. A&M-Texarkana bounced back in dominant fashion, defeating OLLU 3–1 (21–25, 25–17, 25–21, 25–21). After dropping the opening set, TAMUT found its rhythm and never looked back, controlling the pace and forcing the Saints into uncharacteristic errors.

Cabral exploded for 21 kills in the rematch, hitting .236, while Dobreva added another 19 kills and 14 digs. Rhame again commanded the offense, recording 24 assists and three service aces, and Martinez contributed another 12 assists in the balanced setting rotation. Herz turned in another standout defensive performance, tallying 17 digs, while Doskocil and Candace Fuchs combined for 12 block assists to stifle the Saints' attack.

With the split, the Eagles move to 21–5 overall and 7–1 in conference play, maintaining their position near the top of the RRAC standings.

Texas A&M–Texarkana will look to carry their momentum into the final stretch of the season as they prepare for their upcoming conference road series next weekend at Jarvis Christian University. The first match is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, October 31, and game two is set for Saturday, November 1 at 12 p.m.

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