SHERMAN, Texas – McMurry volleyball displayed grit and determination in a pair of hard-fought four-set road matches on Saturday at Hughey Gym, securing gritty set victories against both Concordia University Texas and host Austin College.
Match 1: Concordia 3, McMurry 1 (25-15, 18-25, 25-18, 25-22)
In the morning opener against Concordia, the War Hawks shook off a slow opening set to battle through four tight frames before falling three games to one.
McMurry found its rhythm in the second set, firing at an efficient .391 clip with 13 kills to take the frame 25-18 and pull level.
Haley McCallick spearheaded the front line with 10 kills and a sharp .381 hitting percentage.
Kenzie Jackson and
Layleah Williams-Gibson were potent in the middle and on the pins, tallying nine kills apiece while hitting .375 and .333, respectively. Jackson also turned away two attacks with solo blocks, while Williams-Gibson assisted on three.
Grace Fortune directed the attack smoothly, handing out 31 assists. At the service stripe,
Jalie Miller gave McMurry a major spark with a match-high six service aces. Defensively,
Lexi Nichols anchored the floor with 18 digs, and
Hanna Rubis contributed across the board with seven kills and 11 digs. Despite a late push in the fourth set that featured 12 ties and seven lead changes, Concordia narrowly edged out the final points.
Match 2: Austin College 3, McMurry 1 (25-15, 25-12, 26-28, 25-12)
Returning to the floor for the afternoon matchup against host Austin College, the War Hawks were tested early before staging an inspiring rally to push the match to four sets, ultimately dropping the match 3-1.
Facing a 2-0 deficit, McMurry dug deep in the third set, pounding out 17 kills and out-dueling the host team in extra points for a thrilling 28-26 victory.
Rubis set the tone offensively in game two, pacing the War Hawks with a team-high 13 kills. McCallick remained a steady weapon, collecting nine kills on a .273 mark to go along with five digs. Jackson chipped in six kills,
Grace Gustafson came off the bench to deliver five kills, and Williams-Gibson tallied three kills, two aces, and two block assists.
Fortune once again reached the 31-assist plateau to quarterback the offense. On the back row, Nichols and Miller led the charge with 10 digs each, with Miller adding another pair of service aces.
Volleyball returns to the court September 11th at Dallas Christian College at 1:00 p.m.
