LADY RAMS ADVANCE TO RRAC FINAL
November 11, 2005

HOUSTON, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University volleyball team (29-3), ranked 9th in the country, defeated Texas College and Texas A&M International in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday.  The Lady Rams swept Texas College 3-0 and followed that with a 3-1 victory of TAMIU.

The Rams topped Texas College in dominating fashion, taking the match with scores of 30-9, 30-13, and 30-9.  Bela Gaulberto led the squad with 10 kills.  Misty Tarbet and Rachel Loftin added nine and eight respectively.  Whitney Johansen had 30 assists, and Brandi Hatcher recorded six service aces.

Against TAMIU, the Rams opened with a 30-19 win.  In game two, the Dust Devils took a 32-30 win.  However, the Lady Rams came back with authority in game three and earned a 30-15 win.  They would close out the match with a 30-24 win in game four.

Tarbet led the way with 18 kills while Gaulberto and Loftin added 17 and 15.  Sandra Ayala turned in a solid match as well with 14 kills.  Johansen recorded a season-high 54 assists, and Susan Taylor had an outstanding 37 digs.

With the win over TAMIU, the Lady Rams ran their current winning streak to 28 consecutive matches and punched their ticket to the RRAC Finals for the fourth consecutive year.  The Rams took a 3-1 win over Houston Baptist in last season’s final.  Texas Wesleyan will face the winner of the Houston Baptist vs. UT-Permian Basin semifinal match in tomorrow’s final which is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m.