BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team improved their opening record to 8-0 with two more wins at the Dakota's Patriot Classic Saturday on the campus of the University of Texas at Tyler.
 
The Cru opened the day with a 3-1 win over Rhodes College. UMHB took the first two sets 25-15, 25-22 before dropping the third 20-25. The Cru flipped the script in the fourth set, beating the Lynx 25-20 for the four-set victory. Miranda Klein and Natasha Evans each recorded 15 kills while Corinne Novak and Sarah Paolini added 12. Evans anchored UMHB's offense with a team-high 45 assists as UMHB hit .264 in the contest. Defensively, Haleigh Evans recorded 17 digs, limiting the Lynx to just 37 kills in the match. The Cru totaled 71 kills on 174 attacks with nine aces, nine blocks and 43 digs. Rhodes ended the match with 37 kills on 138 attacks, adding 10 aces and 58 digs.
 
UMHB ended tournament play with a 3-0 win over Texas Lutheran University. The Cru took the Bulldogs in straight sets 25-21, 25-16, 25-17. Madison Welch led UMHB with 11 kills followed by Corinne Novak with 10. Natasha Evans again led UMHB, recording 37 assists. Haleigh Evans was the defensive leader with 14 digs, followed by Natasha Evans with 11 and Corinne Novak and Madison Welch with nine each. Maddie Frerich led defensive efforts at the net with six blocks, followed by Klein with four and Paolini with three. UMHB totaled 33 kills on 93 attacks with four aces and 50 digs. The Bulldogs were limited to 28 kills on 119 attacks with three aces and 61 digs.
 
UMHB returns to play in a conference-opening match at Hardin-Simmons University on Tuesday, September 12^th at 6 p.m.