BELTON, Texas – McMurry University Volleyball had an upset on its mind at No. 8 Mary Hardin-Baylor on Thursday behind a career night from sophomore Kaylie Vasil, but were outlasted in the final two sets to fall 3-1 in Belton, Texas.

Vasil had a career-high 18 kills with 11 digs for a double-double, while hitting an impressive .395 attack percentage. Her 18 kills also led the game and contributed greatly to McMurry's third-highest kill total as a team this season. The War Hawks were slightly out-killed by the nationally-ranked Cru, 55-52.

The teams split the first two sets with 25-23 scores, but UMHB regained control and ultimately held on with a pair of 25-17 wins in the last two sets.

With their win, the Cru remain undefeated at a 21-0 record and move to 15-0 in conference matches. The War Hawks fall to 7-11 overall and 5-10 in conference play. Two of the conference losses were forfeits due to COVID-19 and do not count toward the overall record.


No. 8 Mary Hardin-Baylor 3, McMurry 1 (23-25, 25-23, 17-25, 17-25)

Summary: Both teams hit well and had positive attack percentages, but the Cru were able to win the service battle – something many teams have not done against McMurry throughout the season. UMHB had 11 aces and just two errors, while McMurry had seven aces and five errors. Both teams had seven blocks, but the War Hawks had six block errors in a tough setback. Junior libero Adile Leal was all over the floor with 29 digs – one short of a career-high set last Friday – while adding a pair of assists. Senior Myranda Salcedo had 23 assists, while freshman understudy Ashlyn Quillan added 19 and had nine digs. Freshman Addison Kimberling had a strong game with six kills and five blocks, while senior Megan Martinez had eight kills and four digs.

Set 1: UMHB started strong with a 7-0 run, but after an early timeout, the stingy War Hawks chipped away until eventually it got within three at a 20-17 deficit. From there, McMurry gave the Cru all it could handle and made it 24-23 on kills by Kaylie Vasil and Ashlyn Quillan, but UMHB got the final kill to end it. Also in the late run, Megan Martinez had back-to-back kills to make it 23-21, forcing UMHB into a timeout to regroup. McMurry had 15 kills and six errors, while UMHB had 13 kills and three errors.

Set 2: Instead of coming out deflated from the set one loss, McMurry fired back and finished the job in set two. Unlike set one, there were four lead changes and eight moments where the scored was tied. The turning point came tied at 18-18, as Vasil broke up the tie with a kill. This would spark a small run with two kills by Haygen Fleming and a service ace by Quillan – making it 22-18. Later, UMHB re-tied it at 23-23 and had the crowd on its side, but McMurry was unfazed and scored the final two points. Madison Cuellar set up set point with a kill, then Addison Kimberling finished the job. The War Hawks did just enough with a 17-13 kill advantage, while both teams had three blocks and two service aces.

Set 3: The third set started much like the first one, as UMHB took a commanding 9-1 lead early on. Cuellar ended the run with a kill and was later followed by Vasil and Allissa Rodriguez to make it 10-4, but UMHB remained in control. Later, down 19-10, McMurry scored four more in a row to force a UMHB timeout, including kills by Kimberling and Cuellar and a service ace by Myranda Salcedo. UMHB had just a bit more juice in the end and churned out a swing set win.

Set 4: UMHB scored the first two points and led the entire way, but McMurry hung around and never trailed by more than seven points. The closest point of the match – outside of the early stages – was when McMurry trailed 13-11 thanks to a kill by Vasil. Later on, McMurry had it within three at 20-17, but the Cru scored five in a row to finish things off. Kills were close with UMHB holding a 12-11 advantage, but the War Hawks struggled at times on the serve as UMHB had four service aces in the set.


UP NEXT 

McMurry welcomes crosstown rival Hardin Simmons to Kimbrell Arena on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 11 a.m.

Both teams are in need of wins with their respective seasons hanging in the balance, as HSU (6-9) and McMurry (5-10) are currently on the outside looking in for the sixth spot in the standings occupied by Concordia Texas (7-7). The top six teams make the postseason tournament, which begins Nov. 4.