MARSHALL, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team dropped its first road match of the year to East Texas Baptist University Thursday evening in Marshall. The loss dropped the Cru to 4-1 on the season and 1-1 in American Southwest Conference action.
 
East Texas Baptist jumped to an early lead in the match with a 25-22 first-set win. The Tigers added another set-win in the second, outscoring the Cru 25-16 for a 2-0 advantage. UMHB fought back in the third set, outscoring the Tigers 25-19. The Cru hit .371 in that set with 15 kills on 35 total attacks. UMHB tacked on another set win in the fourth, beating the Tigers 25-20 to tie the match at two sets each.
 
ETBU used a 6-0 run halfway through the fifth to gain advantage on the Cru, cruising to a 15-9 fifth-set victory for the win. Kaylie Vasil led the Cru with 13 kills, followed by Hannah Frasca with nine. Jenci Seahorn, Dravyn Hurd and Katie Warden each added seven kills as UMHB totaled 46 kills on 180 attacks for a .183 percentage in the match. Sydney Bowen led the Cru with 28 assists, followed by Ella Brunson with nine. Defensively, Alyssa Christiansen led the Cru with 21 digs, followed by Frasca with 20 and Maddie Gillispie with 17.
 
UMHB returns to action in a two-day tournament at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. The Cru opens play on Friday, September 9^th in a noon match against Whitman College.