BEAUMONT, Texas – A packed out McDonald Gym laid witness to a Lamar University volleyball sweep over Texas A&M-Commerce on Thursday night, 3-0 (30-28, 25-22, 25-20). This secures the first ten-win season for the Cardinals since 2015.
 
Lamar (10-5, 2-1 SLC) hit 37-13-140 (.171) on the evening with eight aces and eight blocks. Maja Malinowska posted her eighth double-double of the season with a team-high 14 kills and 17 digs. She was one of four Cardinals to have double-digit digs with Keeley Nellis chipping in a team-high 22 while Monique Gonzalez and Alexa Gonzalez each tallied 11.
 
Texas A&M-Commerce (6-10, 3-1 SLC) finished the match with a hitting percentage of 14 percent (42-21-150). The Lions were let down by eight reception errors and 11 service errors.
 
The first set was a marathon featuring 18 ties and six lead changes. At one point, the Lions held off four consecutive match points from Lamar before the Cardinals scored the final three points to secure the early advantage.
 
The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead in Set 2 leading by eight points right after the media timeout. The Lions stormed back to within one late, but ultimately, seven kills from Malinowska were too much to overcome.
 
A streaky third set saw an early six-point swing from Big Red get answered immediately by four straight points from the Lions. Six aces and three blocks from the Cardinals would prove to be the difference in the end.
 
Lamar travels south to face off against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday at 1 p.m. before returning home to play Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.