ABILENE, Texas – The McMurry University volleyball team can make history this weekend with its 24th victory of the season, but more importantly two wins against Schreiner Friday and Texas Lutheran Saturday will help keep the War Hawks in the regular-season title hunt with Hardin-Simmons.
The Cowgirls and War Hawks will face common opponents this weekend with both teams standing at 13-2 in American Southwest Conference play. If both HSU and McMurry sweep this weekend, it will set up the season finale Wednesday for the ASC West crown and a No. 1 seed in the ASC Postseason Tournament Nov. 3-5.
First things first, however, McMurry must defeat the Mountaineers Friday in Kerrville and face a surging Bulldogs team in Seguin Saturday that has won six out of its last seven matches.
Schreiner enters Friday's match with a 5-17 overall record and a 5-10 mark in league play. Ashley Lyles leads the Mountaineers offensively with 138 kills and a .182 hitting percentage. The team hits .141 as a team while allowing opponents to hit .181. Brittney Church leads Schreiner with 39 total blocks while Jamie Burns has 225 digs on the season.
TLU's brutal non-conference schedule leaves the Bulldogs with a 12-13 overall record, however, the team overshadows that mark with a 9-5 league record and a third-place spot in the west division.
Vanecia Spencer leads TLU offensively with 260 kills while Marcia Sagebiel leads the Bulldogs with 48 blocks and Davina Hirst has 348 digs.
McMurry's
M.J. Vickers has 303 kills on the season with
Bailey Marcum adding 235. Defensively, Marcum leads the War Hawks with 322 digs and
Kasi Conners has 121 blocks.
The War Hawks tied the 1997 and 2002 teams' school record of 23 wins in a season Saturday against Concordia-Texas. McMurry enters the game with a 23-2 record and 13-2 league mark.
McMurry and Schreiner square off at 7 p.m. in Kerrville Friday night with the War Hawks' match against TLU Saturday at 1 p.m. in Seguin.