Javelinas host first invitational tournament
After a powerful last season, the Texas A&M-Kingsville University Women’s Volleyball team was ready to kick start the Fall semester by hosting the first invitational tournament here on their turf.
“Being able to start the season here was honestly great because the girl’s parents are able come out and watch them play and we have the home court advantage along with the student body and faculty being able to come check out the team,” Assistant Coach Alexa Ruiz said. “It was a great opportunity to challenge their first competition on their home court.”
This invitational tournament was the first one the Javelinas have hosted in five years.
“I just knew we had to keep the energy really high and stay focused and really capitalize on our opponent getting tired,” senior player Ally Stachowiak said.
“We were in better shape, so we were able to get some kills and have a good offense.”
The Javelinas came out on top in the tournament by extending their home winning streak to 14 matches straight.
“We had outstanding offense, we had multiple hitters hitting for high numbers, we hit for a huge percentage…we were just really, really great offensively,” Head Coach Tanya Allen Gonzalez said.
The Javelinas went into this tournament with high intensity and high hopes of winning, they have worked hard and bonded throughout the summer and have also added a few new recruits to their Javelina pack.
“The new recruits have really good energy- really fun to be around, they’re really smart but they have a lot to learn, and I think they understand that. They’ve been working hard to try to learn it. ” Allen-Gonzalez said.
“They’re also really fun to work with, so they have meshed well with some of the older kids.”
Head Coach Allen-Gonzalez has held each of her players to high expectations and they have all shown great ambition to represent the Javelinas, she said.
“I think the team performed very well offensively. We hit for a really high percentage and that overwhelmed other teams, I think we did a fantastic job blocking and serving but we definitely will continue to work on our digging,” Allen-Gonzalez said.
The team is now preparing for their next tournament here in Kingsville Sept.14 at the SPEC,
they hope to see their Javelina fans come out and support them.
The Javelinas will be playing against Angelo State University at 6 p.m. then take on University of Arkansas Fort Smith on Sept 15.