Aug. 28, 2010

WSU-UTA Box Score

Box Score

NORMAN, Okla. - UT Arlington turned its attack around during the second game Saturday, but it wasn't enough to top a scorching-hot Wichita State attack in the Nike Invitational.

The Shockers, a second-round NCAA Tournament team in 2009, topped UTA 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 26-24) at McCasland FieldHouse.

"We played a poor first set in that one for sure, but we came out and responded well in the second and third set," UT Arlington coach Diane Seymour said. "They really battled against a quality team."

Chelsey Feekin and Mary Elizabeth Hooper accumulated 17 and 15 assists, respectively, for the Shockers (2-1).

Camri Zwiesler and Emily Adney led the Shockers with double-digit kills, pacing an attack that boasted a percentage of better than .300 through the first two games.

"They ran a really good offensive attack that had multiple quick attacks coming out at us and it took us a while to find their hitter and navigate how to best defend someone coming at you with two or three quick attackers," Seymour said. "I think it's a case of coming up against a team with a little bit more experience."

Tara Frantz registered a team-high 11 kills, leading a Mavericks attack that bounced back from a disappointing performance against Oklahoma earlier in the day.

Eld-hah Kaswatuka turned in a strong effort, finishing with nine kills and five digs without committing an attack error.

"When you look at that and the fact that this is really the first time Eld-hah has started and played the whole game in three straight matches, she did a good job of maintaining some offense," Seymour said. "I think it's a good sign for a kid who has come off the bench for the last few years."

Raegan Daniel added 25 assists and nine digs in the loss.

Alicia Shaffer also recorded 12 digs.

The loss left the Mavericks (0-3) winless for the Nike Invitational. Still, Seymour said there were definite positives for the overall weekend.

"It's really hard for our kids to see the positives in what this weekend was," Seymour said. "As a coaching staff, we can. We can definitely be disappointed in our effort against OU but we also recognize our efforts against Wichita State and Miami (Fla.) were very good. Playing against some high-caliber teams and staying neck-and-neck is a good sign for us."

UTA returns to the court Friday when it hosts the UT Arlington Maverick Classic. The first game is against Arkansas-Little Rock at 1 p.m. at Texas Hall.