BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team earned a pair of wins on the final day of the UMHB Volleyball Tournament, taking a 3-1 win over Millsaps College before coming from behind for a five-set thriller against Carroll. UMHB improved to 5-1 with the wins.
UMHB jumped to an early lead in the first set against Millsaps, taking a four-point lead at 12-9. The Majors pulled within one before the Cru strung together a four-point run to go up 16-11. Millsaps fought back, using a 6-1 run to tie the set at 17 and play went back-and-forth until UMHB used a four-point run to force set point at 24-20. Millsaps retaliated again, tying the set at 24 but kills from Allie Thompson and Addison Yates sealed the 26-24 win for the Cru.
The second set played evenly until a 9-2 run pulled the Cru ahead by eight points. UMHB kept the foot on the gas, cruising to a 25-12 win in that set. Millsaps led early in the third set but UMHB used a five-point run to take another 12-9 lead. The Majors held the gap until the 15-20 mark when Millsaps scored six consecutive points to take a one-point lead. UMHB responded but the Majors held, taking the set at 25-22.
UMHB answered in the fourth, taking an easy 12-3 lead. The Cru controlled the set, going up 10 at the 21-11 mark and ending the match with a 25-16 fourth-set win.
Allie Thompson led the Cru with 10 kills while Lilli Sandoval and Natalie Hughes each added eight. Ava Ribakovs and Chloe Brandt anchored the offense with 21 and 20 assists, respectively, while Angie Garcia put up a team-high 21 digs. Thompson was the Cru's defensive leader at the net, putting up five total blocks.
Carroll jumped to an early lead in the first set, taking a 12-2 lead and cruising to a 25-14 win. Both teams fought hard in the second set with play going point-for-point until Carroll closed it with a 27-25 win. UMHB answered in the third, taking an 8-1 lead early and cruising to a 25-19 win.
The Cru led early in the fourth set but Carroll fought back, tying the set at 22. The Pioneers forced set point but a kill from Ava Ribakovs pulled the Cru within one. A pair of Carroll attack errors put the Cru at set point before a kill from Lilli Sandoval sealed the fourth set 26-24 for the Cru. Carroll took an early fifth-set margin, leading by as many as six points before the Cru built a five-point margin to pull within one. Carroll went back up by four but UMHB was persistent, closing the set with a 7-1 run to win the match with a 16-14 fifth-set victory.
Lilli Sandoval led the Cru with 17 kills while Natalie Hughes and Ava Ribakovs each added 13. Chloe Brandt totaled 26 assists in the match, followed by Ribakovs with 18. Defensively, Kaysen Miller led with 21 kills while Ribakovs added 19 and Angie Garcia had 14.
UMHB returns to action on Wednesday, September 9th in a 6 p.m. match at LeTourneau University in Longview.
