Volleyball Battles in Five-Set Senior Day Showdown

TEXARKANA, Texas – The Texas A&M University–Texarkana volleyball team closed out its regular season on Saturday afternoon, hosting NCAA Division II Southern Arkansas University for Senior Day inside the Patterson Student Center. In a hard-fought five-set thriller, the Eagles came up just short (27-25, 22-25, 25-23, 23-25, 12-15) but celebrated four outstanding seniors — Kelby Coutee, Zoe Martinez, Kaitlyn Cabral, and Paulina Dobreva — whose impact on the program has been nothing short of remarkable.

The Eagles came out strong, taking the first set 27-25 behind a balanced offensive attack led by senior outside hitter Kaitlyn Cabral, who recorded a match-high 21 kills and 16 digs for another impressive double-double. Fellow senior Paulina Dobreva followed closely with 17 kills and 23 digs, turning in an all-around performance that energized the home crowd.

Setter duo Zoe Martinez and Ashley Rhame commanded the offense with precision, combining for 49 assists (Martinez with 25 and Rhame with 24), while Kelby Coutee anchored the defense with three digs and was a wall at the net, tallying seven block assists. Macyen Doskocil added to the defensive dominance with five block assists, while Lauren Herz notched 14 digs and chipped in an ace.

Despite the narrow loss, the match served as a fitting tribute to a senior class that helped guide TAMUT to back-to-back regular season conference titles and a No. 1 seed heading into postseason play.

With the regular season now complete, the Eagles turn their attention to the Red River Athletic Conference Championship, where they enter as the top overall seed. TAMUT will open tournament play on Thursday, November 13 at 7 p.m., facing the winner of Jarvis Christian and Louisiana Christian.

Stay tuned to @TAMUT_athletics for match coverage, updates, and more as the Eagles head into post-season action!