COMMERCE, Texas — Lamar University volleyball's season came to an end Friday night as it suffered a sweep to the University of Incarnate Word at The Field House during the Southland Conference tournament quarterfinals.

LU wraps up the season 17-15 overall, recording back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2008-2009.

This also marked the first time LU made back-to-back appearances at the Southland Conference tourney since 2010-2011.

Gabby Baker has been chasing history, eyeing the single season program record for digs. She entered the match 13 digs away from tying Andrea Hamilton's 2007 record of 602.

Baker ended up tying the record to etch her name atop the history book in just her first year of collegiate action.

LU was in a hole early in the first set trailing 5-0.

Maja Malinowska helped cut the deficit in half with a kill, but UIW surged ahead with a 4-0 run to increase its lead to seven.

UIW used a 5-1 run to make the score 20-8.

Lyric Jordan tallied two kills while Taisha Rhone had one during the final stretch to get LU into double digits on the scoreboard.

To start the second set, LU trailed 7-5 before using a 4-0 run to take the lead. Rhone had a kill and teamed up with Daniella Udegbunam for a block assist during the run.

The score was tied five times in the middle of the set.

With the score tied at 10-all, LU took a two-point lead before UIW flipped the script using a 4-1 run to lead by one point.

Jordan tallied another kill to tie up the score once more until UIW went on a 3-1 run to lead by three.

LU kept it close down the stretch using a 3-0 run highlighted by a kill from Rhone and a service ace by Baker.

UIW ended up scoring the last two points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

There were four ties early in the final set.

LU started off scoring the first two points after kills by Jordan and Malinowska.

Twice, LU held a one-point lead until UIW ran away with the set going on a 10-0 run to lead by 12 points.

MATCH NOTES

• Rhone led the offense with nine kills while she also tallied seven digs and four block assists.
• Jordan and Malinowska each finished with seven kills. Malinowska also tallied 12 digs and two assists.
• Alexa Gonzalez tallied 23 assists, seven digs and one block assist. She finished 50 assists shy of 1,000 for the season.
• LU narrowly tallied more blocks than UIW, 12-10. Udegbunam tallied four total blocks and two kills while Hailey McEllrath had three block assists and one kill.
• Udegbunam finished the season with 128 total blocks marking the first time an LU player tallies 120 or more total blocks since Chelsea Grant's 140 total blocks in 2015.
• Baker finished with 13 digs and one service ace. 
• Keeley Nellis added to the defense with seven digs.
• LU had not won an opening-round Southland Conference tournament match since 2010.