ALPINE, Texas – McMurry University Volleyball went to five sets for the first time this season on Saturday, playing 10 tightly-contested frames against American Southwest Conference foe Sul Ross State for a doubleheader split.

The Lobos (5-7, 5-7) took the first game with a 3-2 victory, but the War Hawks (12-4, 12-4) responded with a five-set win of its own in the nightcap.

For the day, McMurry outscored Sul Ross 211-205 in total points. Furthermore, six of the 10 sets in today's twinbill were decided by five points or less.

GAME 1 – Sul Ross State 3, McMurry 2 (25-16, 21-25, 25-22, 18-25, 8-15)

Summary: Despite being out-killed 53-51, McMurry used 14 aces and nine blocks to remain competitive in a five-set showdown. Ahead 2-1 through three sets, McMurry was unable to secure the win due to a near-flawless performance on the other side. In the final two sets, Sul Ross committed just two attack errors, while McMurry had 10. Senior Brynn Wilson turned in a double-double with 10 digs and 22 assists, while fellow senior Megan Martinez had 13 kills, six aces and five block – all team highs.

Set 1: McMurry took advantage of seven Sul Ross errors and owned a slight 11-10 kill advantage to take the opening frame handily. A 5-0 run midway through sparked by a Madison Cuellar kill and a pair of service aces from Megan Martinez put McMurry ahead 12-6, and a 4-0 run later made it 23-13. Martinez put down one more kill on an assist from Myranda Salcedo to make it 24-16 and a ball-handling error ended the set.

Set 2: Despite a few tied moments in the set, Sul Ross took its first lead in the second frame at 15-14 and eventually found themselves ahead 22-20. A kill by senior Kianni Mitchell made it 22-21, but the Lobos were able to tie the match on a kill and two attack errors. Both teams had 13 kills in the set.

Set 3: Down 5-3 in the swing set, McMurry went on a 5-0 run with freshman Aubrie Sibley on the serve, recording two service aces in the stretch with one kill by Martinez. Later in the set, Sul Ross used a 4-0 run to tie it back up at 19-19, but back-to-back kills by Martinez and Addyson Tiffin put McMurry back up two. Sully evened it back up at 21-21, but McMurry scored four of the last five and took set three. Both team had 11 kills.

Set 4: The Lobos jumped to an 8-1 lead needing this set to stay alive, maintaining a comfortable margin ahead of McMurry up until the set point. Down 24-12, McMurry fired off six straight points to start a rally. Behind two aces from Megan Martinez and a pair of kills from Sibley and Mitchell, the Lobos were forced to regroup and eventually capped the set with a kill by Daniella Garcia.

Set 5: In McMurry's first five-set game of the season, it struggled out of the game surrendering seven of the first eight points to fall behind. After pulling ahead 11-5, the Lobos allowed a 3-0 run by McMurry on back-to-back surprise attacks from Sibley in the setter position, making it 11-8 after an attack error. The Lobos got the final four points, using three errors at the end to secure the home win on senior day.

GAME 2 – McMurry 3, Sul Ross State 2 (26-28, 25-21, 25-18, 23-25, 15-10)

Summary: The War Hawks responded with a gritty win in the nightcap, using a distinguishable 18-6 block advantage en route to an 82-69 points advantage. McMurry also had 59 kills, while the Lobos tallied 56. The War Hawks also had a season-high 104 digs in the match. Three players had double-digit kills, led by Megan Martinez with 16. Senior Kianni Mitchell slightly missed a double-double with 11 kills – a season-high – and nine blocks for 17.5 points – both career-highs. Madison Cuellar led the team with 24 digs, while Adile Leal and Kaylie Vasil each had 23. Vasil completed the double-double with 10 kills and her career-high dig total.

Set 1: Both teams recorded 16 kills in a slugfest to open game two, as the lead changed 11 times. Tied up a 21 late in the set, Sully scored three in a row on a pair of McMurry miscues and a kill to force set point. McMurry stormed back to score four straight and take a 25-24 lead with help from two Sul Ross attack errors and kills from Tyler Richardson and Kaylie Vasil. The teams traded kills to keep the game alive, finding each other tied at 26-26. An error and a kill in favor of the Lobos ended the frame in favor of the home team.

Set 2: After dropping three straight sets and momentum, McMurry again found itself behind 5-0 on the first five points. The War Hawks later battled back to tie it up at 8-8 and eventually retook the lead at 16-15 on a kill by Martinez. Ahead by two, McMurry scored three straight to make it 23-18 with a kill by Cuellar and two attack errors across the net. Cuellar had another kill to make it 24-20 and Kianni Mitchell put the cherry on top with the final attack on an assist by Brynn Wilson. Both sides had 13 kills in the frame.

Set 3: In another evenly-matched swing set, neither team led by more than four until a 4-0 run by McMurry made it 18-14. In that run, a service error turned into an Aubrie Sibley service ace and was followed by a kill from Kaylie Vasil and an attack error the other way. Ahead 23-18, McMurry regained service rights with a serve error across the net and put the stamp on it with a kill by Kianni Mitchell.

Set 4: The Lobos remained alive again in set four, making the longest run of the night for either team with a 9-0 stretch, turning a 5-5 tie into a 14-5 lead. Six of the nine points in that stretch came off McMurry errors, as the team appeared out of sync. The War Hawks worked back into it midway through, making it 21-19 with help from kills by Martinez and Tyler Richardson. Down 24-22, Madison Cuellar came up clutch again with a kill, but Annika Canaba set up Loren Garcia for the final kill to force set five.

Set 5: Both teams had six kills in the deciding frame, but it would be McMurry that would pull out the win in game two. The Lobos committed seven errors, while the War Hawks only had three, to help secure the split. The game was tied 7-7 midway through, but McMurry took advantage of three Lobos errors to go ahead 10-7. Martinez and Mitchell contributed kills to eventually make it 13-10, and Addyson Tiffin added one more to force set point. An attack error by Canaba on the other side ended the match.

UP NEXT 
The War Hawks close the regular season on April 1 against Concordia Texas inside Kimbrell Arena. First serve is set for 5 p.m. in Abilene.