ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University Volleyball had its back against the wall on Saturday afternoon against crosstown rival Hardin-Simmons, but overcame an early deficit to earn a thrilling 3-2 win at the Mabee Complex in American Southwest Conference play.

McMurry (4-5, 2-2 ASC) had some early miscues that resulted in a pair of decisive set losses, but caught a second wind in the third set to stay alive, winning 25-23. The fourth set was even tighter, as McMurry was on the cusp of losing the match down 26-25. Instead, the War Hawks scored three in a row to force a fifth set.

Hardin-Simmons (1-3, 0-3 ASC) took an 8-5 lead in the final frame, but the visiting War Hawks had just enough fuel in the tank to tie it back at 8-8. After going back-and-forth, the rivals found themselves at 13-13.

Enter Tyler Richardson and Bailey Carlson.

Richardson earned a kill to set up match point, then was followed by Carlson with a clutch service ace to complete the remarkable comeback.
McMurry has now won five straight matches against the Cowgirls. Additionally, the War Hawks own a 1-0 advantage in this year's Dyess Trophy Series – a multi-sport competition between the two Abilene rivals that awards the school with the most head-to-head wins a trophy named in honor of Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene.

McMurry 3, Hardin-Simmons 2 (12-25, 19-25, 25-23, 28-26, 15-13)

Summary: HSU had the advantage in most statistical categories – mostly due to their dominant 25-12 win in the opening frame – but McMurry outlasted their adversary when it counted in the tight sets. The one category that went in favor of the War Hawks was blocks, as Megan Martinez, Bri Garcia and Madison Cuellar each had three. Cuellar and Brooke Cox had 11 kills each to lead the team, while Richardson added 10. Junior Adile Leal led the way with 24 digs and senior Myranda Salcedo had 26 assists – both game highs.  

Set 1: McMurry stumbled out of the gate with just five kills and five attack errors, giving HSU the early advantage. The Cowgirls had 13 kills and took advantage of 12 miscues by the War Hawks to win the opening set.

Set 2: Momentum stayed in purple during the second set, as HSU took an early 3-2 lead and would not trail again in the set. But on the verge of another 25-12 loss down to the final point, McMurry began to battle back with a seven-point swing. In that run, there were three attack errors, Salcedo had a service ace, Brooke Cox contributed a kill and Bri Garcia had two kills. Taylor Salone, who led HSU with 12 kills, ended the rally with a kill.  

Set 3: Needing a third set win to stay alive, McMurry went to work. The teams jockeyed for the lead up until being tied 22-22 late in the frame. The War Hawks earned a kill by Cuellar and a service ace by Martinez to set up set point, but a service error on the next try delayed the win. Cuellar would end it with another kill at 25-23. She and Cox had four kills in the frame.

Set 4: The longest set of the match came in the fourth frame, as the teams traded blows until HSU led 23-21 and was two points away from victory. Tyler Richardson recorded back-to-back kills to retie it, then HSU threatened again after a McM service error made it 24-23. From there, the teams tied each other at 24, 25 and 26 before McMurry tied the match with back-to-back kills. Cuellar had the first one, then freshman Allissa Rodriguez had the clincher.

Set 5: Looking to hold off the rally, HSU was the early favorite with a 5-2 lead, then later an 8-5 lead. Brooke Cox came up clutch for McMurry with a kill, sparking a four set run that included two HSU errors and another Cox kill. Cox struck again down 11-10, tying the game. Freshman Addison Kimberling earned the next point for McMurry, then a bad set on the other side put McMurry up 13-11. HSU grinded out a couple more points to tie it again, but Richardson would get her final kill and Bailey Carlson would enter late for the last service ace. Both teams had seven kills in the set, but HSU had one more error than McMurry.

UP NEXT 
The War Hawks will look for their third straight win on Friday, Sept. 24 when they welcome East Texas Baptist to Abilene for a 6 p.m. start.