HOUSTON, TX — The McMurry War Hawks faced a challenging conference road test against the University of St. Thomas Celts, falling in three tough sets (22-25, 26-24, 25-12) at the Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center. The conference loss moves the War Hawks' season record to 9-7 overall and 2-5 in SCAC play.
The War Hawks were led offensively by Carli Colbert, who finished with seven kills and hit an efficient .130 for the match. Shaely Rogers was right behind her with six kills, while Marcette Williams and Rylie Patterson both added four kills apiece.
The offense was primarily set up by Colbert, who delivered a team-high 10 assists, and Alexis Dolton, who contributed four assists.
Defensively, the War Hawks delivered a solid performance, totaling 43 digs. Isabela Dorsey anchored the back row with a match-high 12 digs, followed closely by Jalie Miller with 11 digs and Rogers with nine digs.
From the service line, McMurry collected five total aces. Dolton led the charge with two aces, while Dorsey, Miller, and Jyllian Phillips all added one ace each. At the net, the War Hawks tallied 5.0 total blocks. Williams was instrumental in the blocking game, recording a team-high four block assists, with Patterson and Layleah Williams-Gibson each contributing two block assists.
Set-By-Set Breakdown
Set 1 (22-25, Lost): The War Hawks fought hard in the opener, managing to match the Celts late in the set despite the Celts hitting an efficient .270. Rogers and Colbert led the way with three kills apiece, and the team combined for three block assists. However, McMurry ultimately fell just short, dropping the opener 25−22.
Set 2 (26-24, Lost): This was the most competitive set of the entire match, pushing into extra points. The War Hawks' offense was most effective in this set, hitting .167 as a team. Rogers dominated the frame, putting down four kills. The team utilized strong serving and timely offense to tie the game late, but the Celts edged out the War Hawks 26−24 after McMurry struggled with two late attack errors.
Set 3 (12-25, Lost): McMurry struggled to maintain momentum in the final set. The offense faltered, registering only three kills as a team. Despite a service ace from Dorsey early on, the Celts controlled the set from the start and closed it out decisively, 25−12, to secure the match win.
The War Hawks showed resilience, particularly in the tightly contested second set, but couldn't convert key opportunities to flip the match outcome. They will next head to Colorado Springs to face Colorado College on Saturday at noon.
