CANYON, Texas – The #20 Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M ended their 2025 campaign on Friday night as they fell to the host #10 MSU Denver Roadrunners in a four-set matchup during the NCAA South Central Regional Semifinals (15-25, 25-17, 23-25, 23-25) at the Auraria Event Center in Denver, Colorado.
WT opened the match with a strong showing from
Emma Becker, who delivered early kills to keep the team within reach.
Taytum Stow also contributed with effective attacks, earning points from assists by
Hannah Pemberton and
Bromli Watson. Despite these efforts, MSU Denver maintained the upper hand through consistent scoring, led by Brooke Gennerman and Alyssa Boyte, who capitalized on assists from Karyna Werley.
As the set progressed,
Currie Marusak added crucial points, narrowing the gap with a late surge. However, MSU Denver's Annika Helf secured the final point to conclude the set. The score at the close of the first set was 25-15 in favor of MSU Denver.
WT capitalized on a series of errors from MSU Denver to establish early momentum in the second set. Stow and Marusak were instrumental in extending the lead, with key kills from Pemberton and Watson contributing to the team's control of the set.
Despite periodic responses from MSU Denver, including kills from Helf and Skyler Michael, the Lady Buffs maintained a steady lead. Becker and
Parker Gladhill added pivotal points to ensure the visitors closed the set with a 25-17 advantage.
West Texas A&M started the third set with determination, as
Casey Loewer and Becker delivered key kills to keep the score tight against MSU Denver. Midway through, a series of crucial plays, including a block by Gladhill and Loewer, helped the Lady Buffs gain a slight edge, moving the score to 10-7.
As the set progressed, MSU Denver responded by capitalizing on attack errors and securing a narrow lead. Despite a resilient performance by WT, marked by kills from Marusak and Stow, the score stayed close at 21-21. The set concluded with MSU Denver edging out the Lady Buffs after a late surge, ending the set with a 25-23 advantage.
In the fourth set, the Lady Buffs and MSU Denver engaged in a closely contested set. WT showcased resilience by capitalizing on multiple MSU Denver errors and effective blocks from Stow and Marusak, keeping the score tight. Stow contributed several key kills, supported by assists from Pemberton and Watson, which helped WT maintain parity throughout the set.
Despite the Lady Buffs' efforts to seize momentum, including tying the score at 22-22 with a block by Stow and Marusak, MSU Denver managed to edge ahead. The home team sealed the set 25-23, following a decisive block by Kryssa Moerman on Gladhill's attack, concluding the set with a narrow victory for MSU Denver.
Stow led the Lady Buffs with a notable performance, recording 12 kills with a hitting percentage of .391 and tallying six total blocks. Marusak contributed 12 kills and added 11 digs, impacting both offense and defense effectively. Pemberton provided a key playmaking role with 19 assists and served one ace. Becker added 11 kills and nine digs, demonstrating her dual-threat capability during the match.
GabriElle Brewer played a pivotal role in facilitating the offense for MSU Denver, recording 33 assists over four games. Helf led the team in points, contributing 22.5 with her 22 kills on 49 total attempts, achieving a hitting percentage of .286. Gennerman added 16 points with 16 kills and a .265 hitting percentage. Werley matched Brewer's playmaking with 35 assists and also contributed eight digs, helping maintain the team's defensive efforts.
