MARSHALL, Texas - McMurry volleyball went toe-to-toe with No. 20 East Texas Baptist on Thursday evening, showing tremendous grit before falling in three sets on the road at Ornelas Gymnasium.
The host Tigers won the conference match 25-18, 25-13, and 28-26.
Madi Polasek led the War Hawk attack with 10 kills, the team high.
Hanna Rubis delivered nine kills, four digs, and a service ace, while
Layleah Williams-Gibson provided eight kills and two aces.
Grace Fortune orchestrated the offense with 24 assists, plus five digs and a block. Defensively, libero
Jalie Miller collected five digs and an ace, and
Jyllian Phillips tallied four digs, an ace, and an assist.
Rylie Patterson added three kills, while
Kenzie Jackson recorded two kills and a block assist.
The opening frame featured 10 ties and two lead changes as McMurry traded blows with the nationally ranked hosts. Phillips's ace locked the score at 4-4, and consecutive Polasek kills kept the War Hawks level at 6-6 and 8-8. Rubis followed with two key kills to keep the score tied at 10-10 and 11-11. The Tigers pulled away mid-set with a 6-1 run to build a 17-12 lead. McMurry kept scrapping behind late kills from Williams-Gibson and Patterson and a combined block from Jackson and Fortune, but the Tigers held on to take the set, 25-18.
In the second set, the hosts seized early momentum to take an 11-5 lead. The War Hawks battled back into contention, cutting the gap to 14-11 on a kill from Patterson and an attack from Jackson. However, East Texas Baptist countered with an 11-2 spurt to close out the frame, 25-13.
The War Hawks showcased remarkable resilience in a thrilling, back-and-forth third set. Down 12-6, McMurry chipped away, using a
Lexi Nichols ace and a Polasek kill to cut the lead to two at 14-12. Down 20-15 later in the frame, McMurry ignited a 4-0 run with back-to-back kills from Polasek and an ace from Miller to cut the lead to one at 20-19. The Tigers pushed McMurry to the brink at match point, 24-21, but the War Hawks mounted an electric 3-0 charge: Williams-Gibson hammered down two straight kills and followed with a clutch service ace to level the score at 24-24. Rubis answered with two pressure-packed kills to tie at 25-25 and 26-26, but East Texas Baptist secured the final two points to take the marathon set, 28-26, and clinch the match.
McMurry continues its road trip on Saturday, October 17, traveling to Belton to face Mary Hardin-Baylor at 11:00 a.m.
