Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Goodwell, Okla.—Panhandle Volleyball played their final home games of the 2016 season this week taking 3-0 losses in both Heartland Conference matchups.

Thursday night fans were full of spirit as they were treated to free popcorn and lots of fun during the Annual Halloween Spiketacular during the Aggies' contest with St. Edward's University. Although the Aggies fell in three straight sets to the Toppers, the scores would not reflect the effort put forth by Panhandle in the series.

Set one was neck-and-neck through a 15-15 tie, with the Aggies owning the lead five separate times during the first-half of the game. The Toppers scored on three straight kills and one Aggie attack error to take a three-point lead at the 18-15 mark. Later in the set, on the serve of Jennifer Cabeen, Panhandle would pull within one point (23-22) but lost the final two points to the Toppers who would notch the 25-22 victory.

An exciting second set saw the game go into extra points as the Aggies battled back from a six-point deficit early in the set (8-2), and later won five straight points with the help of three kills by Emily Goeken, to edge ahead by one-point game (21-20). Two consecutive attack errors by St. Edward's then gave the Aggies a 24-22 advantage at game-point; but the Hilltoppers would outscore the Aggies five kills to one to win the second set 27-25.

Starting strong in set three, the Aggies held a 13-10 lead when the Toppers hit a hot streak and took six points in a row, shifting momentum in their favor. SEU held the Aggies to only three points for the remainder of the set winning by a final score of 25-16 and earning their eighth Heartland Conference victory. Goeken finished with a game-high of 13 kills and teammate Julia Ibarra led with a game-high of 24 assists. The Aggies led behind the line with seven service aces to SEU's five, but defensively the Hilltoppers held the high with nine team blocks, while Panhandle had two blocks on the game.

Seniors were celebrated on Saturday as the Aggies hosted their final home game of the season against another Heartland opponent, Dallas Baptist University. Free burgers and brownies were provided at a pre-game cookout hosted by A.J. Ingo and family, with items donated by Hunny's BBQ and the OPSU Meat Lab. It made for a great start to a very special day for five Panhandle players who would compete for the last time in front of a home crowd. Seniors Rylee Abert, Emily Goeken, Bristen Graves, Abigail Reinick and Jessica Taylor were each recognized prior to the game for their contributions throughout their collegiate careers.

The Aggies progressed and improved in each set, but were unable to earn their first conference win as DBU claimed victories in all three sets (25-19, 25-20, 25-23). Each senior saw court time with Goeken sharing a game-high in kills with two Lady Patriots; Goeken and DBU's Carly Hess and Kasey Holland each totaled nine kills in the match. The Aggies saw major improvement on the serve sending 11 aces over the net and giving up only seven points on reception errors. Goeken served up two aces, as did senior Bristen Graves and junior Julia Ibarra; freshman Kendra Butler led the game with three aces. Ibarra once again led the game in assists with 24 and senior Abigail Reinick held the game's second-highest number in digs with 12. DBU's Hannah Ballew led with 13 digs. The Aggies now sit 3-25 on the season.

Head Coach Mike Stephens is proud of the teams' performance and knows they are capable of even more saying, "We are playing well but just haven't figured out how to keep leads and close out sets." Panhandle Volleyball will have one more opportunity to find a win within the league as they compete in their final game of the season this week. The Aggies will compete in a road game against Lubbock Christian University on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m.