LAREDO, Texas — Nearing the end of the first half of Heartland Conference play, the Newman women's volleyball team earned its second sweep of the weekend, topping Texas A&M International 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-17) Saturday afternoon.
KEY SEQUENCE
After earning a comfortable victory in the first set, the Jets (15-6, 4-2 Heartland) found themselves locked in a tight one late in the second set. Tied 21-21, kills by Emily Harvey and Hailey Braddy boosted the guests to a 24-21 advantage. The Dustdevils (1-15, 1-6 Heartland) would climb back into it with two straight points, but Harvey added the exclamation point and Newman carried that momentum on to the sweep.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
-The opening set remained close early, with the Dustdevils down by just two as late as 8-6, but the Jets took off from there. A Braddy kill and an ace from Jarin Braithwait helped a 3-0 run that made it 11-6.
-Kills from Aliya Higginbotham and Kayla Turner helped balloon the lead out to 17-10, and the lead stayed around that margin until it got as close as 20-15 late.
-Newman would rip off the final five points of the set though, with Braddy putting up a kill and Harvey adding two around a pair of TAMIU errors to grab the first game and the lead.
Set 2
-The hosts came out fast looking to draw even in the match. Newman took a lead at 4-3 after kills from Harvey and Yemima Buana, and went up again at 5-4 to keep things balanced early.
-Harvey and Laura Hageman triggered the Jets' second lead, at 11-10, with back-to-back kills, but the Dustdevils went ahead once more. A four-point burst from Newman finally gave it a multi-point lead, as Andrea Wheeler put up two aces and Braithwait a kill to get the team up 18-15.
-TAMIU would answer to climb back into the set and tie it at 21-21, but they would never regain the lead as Newman pulled through with some clutch points to end it.
Set 3
-Newman trailed just once during the final set, at 3-2. Harvey put down a kill to tie it and followed with a solo block to put the Jets ahead. After the Dustdevils tied it at 4-4, another Harvey kill and one from Braithwait gave the guests the lead for good.
-TAMIU made it a one-point game a few more times, the latest coming at 12-11. Newman followed that with a 6-1 run to take control, with Harvey putting up two kills, Turner adding a pair and Braithwait grabbing another to make it 18-12.
-Three aces, one each from Turner, Braithwait and Hageman, helped put the set — and the match — away.
LEADERS
Newman
Kills: Harvey 15. Aces: Braithwait 3. Blocks: Harvey 1. Assists: Turner 34. Digs: Anna Burton 21.
Texas A&M International
Kills: Ramey Gardner 11. Aces: Gardner, Jasmine Sanchez 1. Blocks: Nadiah Fry 8. Assists: Miranda Fino 12. Digs: Alejandra Bustamante 15.
NOTES
-With the victory, the Jets kept pace with the teams at the top of the Heartland Conference standings. Each team has one more match remaining in the first half of the league schedule before they wrap back around to face everyone for a second time.
-Harvey led the Jets with 15 kills, the fourth straight match, and 12th overall, that the junior led the team. She hit .444 for the match, helping the Jets hit .271 as a team.
-Braddy added 10 kills, her sixth time reaching double digits on the season. Turner had eight kills to go with her 34 assists, and Kaci Copeland added 11 digs.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets stay on the road for a single match next week, facing off with conference-leading Arkansas-Fort Smith Thursday night.
