Hawkins, TX – The University of the Southwest Women's Volleyball team took a trip to Jarvis Christian University for a conference matchup this weekend. Jarvis Christian came into the weekend with a 5-2 record, with this being their first conference series of the season. 
 
GAME 1
The Lady Mustangs put in a hard-fought battle in the first match of the series, but it ultimately went to Jarvis Christian, with the Bulldogs winning each set 25-22, 25-21, 25-19. This would be the start that JCU would be looking for to open RRAC play and heading into game 2 of the series. 
 
Senior Valeria Trevino led the team with ten kills for the Lady Mustangs, followed by Senior Alexia Esparza with six. Junior Gabriela Tapia and Freshman A'Lon Clark provided excellent support with fourteen and thirteen assists, respectively. 
 
"We were holding back in our first match and allowed ourselves to be intimidated by the atmosphere and Jarvis' quickness," said coach Cassandra Smith. 
 
The Lady Mustangs looked to improve on those issues from game one before game two on Saturday.
 
GAME 2
After losing the first set in the second match, 25-16, USW made the much-needed improvements for the rest of play. The Lady Mustangs answered, winning 25-19 win in set two. Jarvis Christian would bounce back with a tight 25-23 win in set three, and USW would take a challenging fourth set 26-24. After the back-and-forth all match, both teams played an exciting fifth set that would end with Jarvis on top 15-13. 
 
Valeria Trevino added an impressive twenty-two kills to her total for the weekend, while Alexia Esparza tacked on another ten. Gabriela Tapia provided another twenty-four assists, and Junior Valeria Rodriguez also contributed fourteen. 
 
Sophomore Aneesa Thompson sparked the defense with five blocks on the day, and Senior Desirae Ramirez and Graduate Student Autumn Lopez chipped in with twelve digs each. 
 
"We had a late start in our second match but were finally playing our way," said coach Smith. "We just gave them too many points with unforced errors. It was a good fight, and some great volleyball was played." 
 
 
USW Volleyball will be back on September 23^rd and 24^th at home against conference opponent, Our Lady of the Lake University. Continue to follow USW Athletics and USW Volleyball on all social media for scores and updates throughout the season.