Fort Worth, TX – Following a clean sweep of their weekend matches to conclude the regular season, the Lady Cats traveled to Texas Wesleyan University for the first round of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament. The #7 seed Lady Cats, with a record of 16-12, faced the #2 seed Rams, with a record of 22-8, with the winner moving on to face the winner of John Brown University and Wayland Baptist University on Friday.

The Lady Cats scored the first two points of the set, thanks to a Rams service error and a Christa Duffel kill. The Rams responded with two points, and a Bri Linehan kill put the Lady Cats ahead 3-2. The teams rallied back and forth and after two Bri Linehan kills and an Abby Chadwell kill, the Lady Cats trailed 7-8. The Rams would score four straight before Abby Chadwell put down another kill. After giving up two more points, the Lady Cats took their first timeout, trailing 8-14. Bailey Chamberlain and Emma McIntire teamed up for a block, and Abby Chadwell posted another kill, but the Lady Cats couldn’t seem to slow the Rams’ attack. After a Bri Linehan kill and two more Rams points, the Lady Cats took their final timeout, down 12-20. Out of the timeout, Abby Chadwell put down two more kills, and Jocee Pettyjohn served an ace. Kamryn Link recorded a kill as well to bring the Lady Cats’ scoring streak to four unanswered points. Brooklyn Crawford posted a kill, but the Lady Cats found themselves down 17-24. The Lady Cats scored three straight thanks to a kill from Bailey Chamberlain and a Brooklyn Crawford service ace, forcing the Rams to take their first timeout, now holding a four-point lead. Out of the timeout, the Rams would score, and the Lady Cats fell in the set, 20-25.

The Lady Cats were again first to score in set two, putting up two points. After an exchange of points, a block from Bailey Chamberlain and Christa Duffel, followed by a Bri Linehan kill, put the Lady Cats up 4-3. Kills from Abby Chadwell and Brooklyn Crawford, as well as a Jocee Pettyjohn service ace, highlighted the Lady Cats 4-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. Kamryn Link and Brooklyn Crawford posted back-to-back kills, and Mica Chadwell also recorded a kill to put the Lady Cats up 11-7. As the Rams crept back into the set, two Bailey Chamberlain kills kept the Lady Cats ahead 13-11. After an exchange of points and a Bri Linehan kill, the score was knotted up 16-16. After four consecutive Rams points, Brooklyn Crawford posted a kill. Three more points for the home team forced the Lady Cats to take a timeout, down 17-23. The Lady Cats scored two out of the timeout, but would come up short, falling 19-25 in set two.

Looking to start a comeback and with their backs to the wall, Bailey Chamberlain and Christa Duffel teamed up for a block to start the third set. After the Rams answered, Christa Duffel and Bri Linehan both put down kills as the Lady Cats trailed 3-4. A block from Kamryn Link and Bri Linehan kept the Lady Cats within one, but the Rams scored six unanswered before Abby Chadwell posted a kill. Down 5-11, the Lady Cats needed to put together a run. A Christa Duffel kill was all the Lady Cat offense could muster, and after another Rams run the Lady Cats trailed 7-17. The Lady Cats fought hard, with a Bailey Chamberlain kill and back-to-back blocks from Bailey Chamberlain and Bri Linehan giving the team some momentum. A kill from Abby Chadwell was followed by a Rams attack error and the Lady Cats now trailed 13-19. Three more Lady Cat points inched them closer, before three Rams points put the Lady Cats in a 16-23 hole. They would not roll over, however, as two Christa Duffel kills, a block from Bailey Chamberlain and Emma McIntire, and two Rams errors made for a 5-0 Lady Cat run. Another Rams error and a Kamryn Link service ace cut the gap to 23-24, as they looked to come back from what, at one point, was a ten point deficit. The Rams, however, scored match point on the next play, and the Lady Cats fell in a close set 23-25.

Abby Chadwell led the team with 8 kills, and Bri Linehan followed behind with 7. Kamryn Link provided 17 assists to her teammates and Abby Chadwell pitched in 7 assists. Mica Chadwell posted 12 digs, with Emma Godwin and Kamryn Link both providing 10 digs each.

The Lady Cats will return to action at home on Tuesday, November 19 at 4:00 as part of the NCCAA Central Regional Championships.