ABILENE, Texas – Traditional rivals McMurry and Hardin-Simmons added another exciting chapter in its volleyball history on Saturday, as the War Hawks pulled out a heart-throbbing 3-1 win inside Kimbrell Arena on Saturday.

All four sets were within five points, as Hardin-Simmons (7-10, 6-10 American Southwest Conference) set the tone with a 25-22 win in the opening set. McMurry (8-11, 6-10 ASC) would recover and defend home court by winning the final three sets, tying things up with a 25-22 second set win and taking the lead with a 25-20 win in the third set.

The fourth set was the closest, as HSU looked to force a fifth set with a 24-23 lead. The War Hawks overcame it and would go on to clinch the match with three straight kills by Kaylie Vasil – winning 28-26.

Sophomore Kaylie Vasil, sophomore Madison Cuellar, senior Myranda Salcedo and senior Megan Martinez all had impressive career-high totals for McMurry on Saturday. Cuellar moved from her usual outside hitter spot to libero, resulting in more dig opportunities.

McMurry has won its last six matches against HSU, including both matches this fall for the season sweep. The War Hawks also own a 2-1 advantage in the 2021-22 Dyess Trophy series.

McMurry 3, Hardin-Simmons 1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-20, 28-26)

Summary: Vasil had perhaps her best career game with a career-best 21 kills and 19 digs for the double-double, while Cuellar churned out 32 digs and Salcedo tallied 26 assists – both career highs. Martinez also had a stellar game with a career-best nine blocks and seven kills and three service aces to boot. Freshman Bri Garcia added six kills and three blocks. Another freshmen, Jacee Dinkins, had her breakout game with her collegiate best of 14 digs. The War Hawks also had 12 blocks, an 8-7 advantage in aces and a 55-52 advantage in kills.  

Set 1: Each team had a string of runs to open the match, but midway through the set, HSU would be the one to break away. The Cowgirls turned an 11-10 deficit into an 18-12 lead, but then McMurry fired back with four straight points. Toward the end, McMurry remained within two points but HSU clinched with a kill by Lauren Sullivan. HSU had a slight advantage in hitting percentage with 14 kills and six errors, while McMurry had 13 kills and seven errors.

Set 2: HSU led most of the second set and looked to take a commanding lead in the match, but McMurry closed the gap and later tied it at 15-15 with a four-point run. Two kills by Garcia and one by Dinkins contributed to the run. Another 4-0 run gave McMurry a 23-19 lead, including a service ace by Vasil. The Cowgirls were in a similar position as McMurry was in the first set, but this time, McM would close the set with a kill by Garcia. She finished with four kills to lead the second set, while Dinkins had three.

Set 3: Errors proved to be the difference in the swing set, as HSU had eight mistakes while McMurry committed just four. The score was tied nine times in the third set, but McMurry inched away with a 3-0 run to make it 16-13. At this point, the attack errors piled up for HSU and allowed the War Hawks to pull away.  

Set 4: With momentum wearing maroon, McMurry used the crowd's energy and closed the match in dramatic fashion. Down 12-11, McMurry went on a 7-0 run to take a substantial lead on kills by Vasil, Martinez and freshman Ashlyn Quillan. But HSU did not lie down, eventually regaining the lead at 20-19. Martinez came up huge after that with a kill and two aces to make it 22-20, but again, HSU went on a short run and forced set point at 24-23. Garcia and Vasil flipped the script with back-to-back kills, making it 25-24 with the match on the line. HSU answered with back-to-back kills and restarted the scenario. This time, McMurry would close it out with three straight kills by Vasil. Those three kills not only helped her set a new career-high, but also won the match.

UP NEXT 
McMurry has two important road matches as it wraps up the regular season, facing Belhaven on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. and East Texas Baptist on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 11 a.m.

Earlier this season, the War Hawks had to forfeit its home matches with Belhaven and ETBU due to COVID-19 protocols, meaning they lost two games in the conference standings.

McMurry is one spot out of sixth place for the final ASC Championship tournament spot, occupied by LeTourneau at 8-7 who has three games remaining and can clinch a berth with one win. For its part, McMurry will need to win out to keep its tournament hopes alive.