Box Score ABILENE, Texas – The effects of not having played a match in 19 days was evident for McMurry University's volleyball team, as it dropped a 3-0 decision to Southwestern Assemblies of God University in the pool play round of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Central Region Tournament at Kimbrell Arena.
The Lions, 16-16 overall, topped the War Hawks by identical scores of 25-22, 25-22, 25-22 to win the tourney's opening match. The War Hawks fell to 21-7 on the year.
Three McM players –
Katy Headrick,
Kayla Hines and
Audrey Sanders – all produced eight kills in the match. Headrick had the most efficient game, hitting .429 for the three sets. Headrick also had two blocks. Hines added five digs to go along with her kill total and Sanders led her team with three blocks.
Junior libero
Jessica Cory had 13 digs on the defensive side, while
Kelsey Harkins dug eight balls to go along with four kills for McM.
McMurry's setter tandem of
Jessica Tennis and
Morgan Thomas combined for 32 assists (18 by Tennis).
The War Hawks found themselves down 6-2 in the early going. With the score at 9-7 in favor of the Lions, McM reeled off seven-consecutive points with
Madison Fatheree serving, to give the War Hawks a 14-10 lead.
But SAGU eventually caught McMurry at 19-19 and it was still tied at 21-21. However, the Lions would take four of the next five points to win the set.
Set No. 2 remained tight, with McM down by a single point at 11-10. But SAGU went on an 11-5 tear as its advantage ballooned to 22-15, its largest cushion of set two. McM clawed back to within one, 23-22, on a kill by
Catherine Heath, but the War Hawks could get no closer.
McMurry held the upper hand in set No. 3 at 10-9. But four-consecutive points behind the serves of Caitlin Paschall put SAGU ahead for good. McM trailed by as many as six points, 21-15, before making on last-ditch run at the Lions, cutting it to 24-22 on a Harkins kill. But SAGU would end the set on the next serve, after an McM error, 25-22.
The tourney continues on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., with McMurry taking on Colorado Christian in the first of four matches during the day.
