BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team fought back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a 3-2 win over Hardin-Simmons University Tuesday night in Belton. The win improved the Cru to 20-0 overall and 14-0 in American Southwest Conference action while the Cowgirls fell to 7-9 on the season and 6-9 in league play.
 
Hardin-Simmons led the first set until Kayla Janikula used back-to-back kills to force a 14-14 tie. UMHB fought late but the Cowgirls outscored the Cru 25-23 in the opening set. UMHB took a lead halfway through the second but a big net presence from the Cowgirls sealed the 25-21 HSU win. UMHB took another lead in the third and broke away with a big kill from Lauren Williams to grab a four-point lead. Kylie Metcalf helped the Cru to a 25-20 win in the third with four blocks. The fourth set opened with back-and-forth scoring, until the Cru went on a 10-4 run to gain a 22-13 advantage. The Cowgirls attempted a comeback, but UMHB persisted, finishing out the set with a 25-21 win. UMHB took charge in the fifth set and never looked back, cruising to a 15-9 win to seal the 3-2 match victory.
 
Frasca led the Cru with 17 kills and three aces. Janikula added 13 kills, while Metcalf added eight. Maddie Gillispie and Janikula added two aces each to the Cru's eight-ace total. Alli Pierce anchored the team with 43 assists.
 
Defensively, Gillispie led the Cru with 27 digs, while Frasca added 20 to UMHB's 160-dig total. The Cru's defense had a large presence at the net, totaling 10 blocks, led by Metcalf with nine.
 
UMHB returns to action Wednesday, October 20^th in a 6:00 pm match against McMurry University in Belton.