Four volleyball student-athletes from head coach Mark Pryor’s first signing class at Texas A&M; University-Commerce have qualified for the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic National Tournament in Miami, Fla.
“In the club circuit, qualifying for the national tournament is the goal of every club team,” said Pryor. “For most teams, their season ends in early May. By qualifying for the national tournament, this has allowed our incoming athletes to continue to train for two more months. Those two months of extra training should really help them to arrive to campus in top shape and help them assimilate to the college game.”
Ashleigh Barnett, a 5-6 libero from Arlington, plays for Texas Advantage 18 Molten, which has been consistently ranked in the top three in the North Texas Region.
“I am extremely excited about participating in nationals in Miami Beach this summer,” said Barnett. “After winning both of our qualifying tournaments, I am confident that my team and I will do well in our very last club tournament together. The competition there will be intense, so we will leave our hearts on the court. The skill level at the National tournament is spectacular! Playing the top teams in the nation will help me better prepare for volleyball in college."
Reagan Hayes (5-11, OH/OPP), Morgan Moeller (5-9, OH) and Rachel Robertson (6-1, MB) all play for Dallas Summit 18 Mizuno, which has been ranked in the top ten regionally throughout the season.
“I am really excited about the chance to play at nationals and with such tough competition,” said Hayes. “This is going to be an amazing experience for me and two other future Lions: Rachel and Morgan. I feel that this will help prepare us for what we will be seeing at the next level of play.”
Robertson added that “it’s good to keep practicing because that is just more reps and will help with my college season. Going to college to be an athlete is going to be so physically demanding and I am so happy that I got the opportunity to have more practice to see a glimpse of what college is going to be like.”
The tournament is taking place at the Miami Beach Convention Center and started June 26. It runs through July 5.
“Having half of our incoming class competing and training through the beginning of July should really be a benefit to the program,” said Pryor.
“I do like the fact that Morgan, Reagan, and Rachel have all played on the same club team for about eight months now. Developing chemistry as a team is not easy… it takes time, and hopefully with all three being so familiar with one another it can help our program as we welcome in eight new athletes to the program.”
Sports
Future A&M-C Lions play in volleyball tourney
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Incarnate Word sweeps Lions in Field House Wednesday night
Incarnate Word 89 vs. A&M-Commerce 85
Texas A&M University-Commerce (7-13) fell in the waning moments to Incarnate Word (12-8) 89-85 to remain in the Lone Star Conference cellar. Despite a stellar all-around offensive performance, the Lions were unable to shut down the Cardinals when it mattered and faded away down the stretch.
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Sanford wins 200 meter dash at Houston meet
Jasmine Sanford, who is training for the U.S. Olympic trials in Commerce, won the 200 meter dash at the Houston Indoor Invitational and Multi’s hosted at the University of Houston this past weekend. Sanford, who is training with Texas A&M University-Commerce Assistant Track Coach Ray Adkison, finished with a time of 24.80 and defeated 43 other runners. She also finished 11 in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.66.
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Lions break five game losing streak, defeat Aggies
The Texas A&M University-Commerce basketball team (7-12) defeated the Cameron University Aggies, thanks to a second-half run and tremendous performances from senior guard Brad Hambrick and sophomore forward Devondrick Walker.
The A&M-Commerce womens team (1-17) lost their fourteenth game in a row after scoring a measly 10 points in the first half.
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Lions continue to lose in conference play
The 2011-12 basketball season has gone from disappointing to horrible over the past few weeks as the Lions have been consistently outplayed by tough Lone Star Conference opponents.
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A&M-Commerce basketball teams fall to Tarleton State
Texas A&M University-Commerce (6-10) was unable to sustain a strong first half and fell to Lone Star Conference heavyweights Tarleton State Texans (16-1) 73-69, despite a late comeback that saw them erase a 14 point deficit Wednesday night.
The A&M-Commerce women's basketball team (1-14) lost their 10th game in a row to Tarleton State (12-5) 89-61, despite a 20 point, 10 rebound effort from sophomore forward Breanna Harris.
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ACU sweeps Lions
The Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team (6-8, 1-5) battled conference opponent Abilene Christian (7-8, 1-6) in the Field House Wednesday night into overtime, ultimately falling 92-79.
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Both A&M-Commerce basketball teams lose to West Texas A&M
Brad Hambrick tied a career-high with 25 points and the Lions pounced out to an early first half lead, but a second half rally from West Texas A&M proved to be the difference as the Buffaloes hand the Lions a 77-72 setback at the First United Bank Center. A&M-Commerce falls to 5-7 overall and 0-4 in Lone Star Conference play, snapping its three-game winning streak.
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A&M-Commerce women fall to Newman despite second-half comeback
The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team finished up their non-conference schedule Thursday night against Newman University, falling 73-50 despite outscoring their opponents in the second half.
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King leads Lions past Henderson State
Paced by a career day by senior Desmond King, which included personal-bests in points (30), rebounds (12) and blocks (two), A&M-Commerce held off Henderson State 85-81 at St. Edward's University for its third-straight win.
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A&M-Commerce men win second game in a row, women can't keep up with A&M International
A&M-Commerce used a balanced offensive attack, with five different Lions scoring in double figures, as the Lions pulled away in the second half to notch an 82-67 victory over Harding at Alumni Gym at St. Edward's University. It was the second-straight win for A&M-Commerce, which improves to 4-6 on the year.
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