BELTON, Texas — Advancing to their fifth straight American Southwest Conference Championship match, No. 19 East Texas Baptist University (22-5) came from behind for a 3-1 victory over Hardin-Simmons University (15-12) in the Semifinals match, 17-25, 25-23, 32-30, and 25-22. ETBU finished with 61 kills, 16 blocks, and 67 digs
Lara Hornsby led ETBU with 18 kills and 19 points, adding seven digs and two block assists.
Anita Hancock recorded 11 kills, nine total blocks, and 17.5 points while hitting .333.
Katherine Server added 11 kills on a .474 hitting percentage with four total blocks and one service ace.
Claire Stewart finished with 26 assists and nine digs as
Sydney Temple had 21 assists.
ETBU tied the opening set at 2-2 on a Hancock kill, but Hardin-Simmons followed with five straight points to put the Tigers in a 7-2 deficit. ETBU later got two kills from
Allison Sims and a Stewart service ace during its push back to 18-11. Hardin-Simmons closed out the set 25-17 despite a late Temple ace and a Server/
Ava Bobnar block for the Tigers.
ETBU overcame a 21-18 deficit in the second set, with
McKinzie Riley's kill starting a five-point answer and Stewart serving the next four points. The stretch included two Hornsby kills and a Bobnar kill that put the Tigers ahead 23-21. After Hardin-Simmons tied it at 23, ETBU closed the set on consecutive attack errors, the last coming on a block by Hancock and Bobnar for a 25-23 finish.
In an extended third set, ETBU outlasted Hardin-Simmons, closing a 32-30 win with consecutive Hornsby kills after the score was tied at 30. Earlier in the stretch, Server kept ETBU in position with kills that tied the set at 28-28 and 30-30 before Hornsby finished the final two points.
ETBU gained separation in the fourth set after a 15-15 tie, moving ahead 20-15 behind four points on
Peyton LeJeune's serve, including kills by Hornsby, Riley and Server plus a Riley/Server block. After Hardin-Simmons closed the score at 22-21, Hancock delivered back-to-back kills before Sims finished the 25-22 set win.
ETBU advances to the ASC Volleyball Championship round, in which they will play the winner of tonight's match between No. 1 seed UMHB and No. 4 Schreiner on Saturday, November 14th, at 4:30 PM, in Belton, Texas.
SET BREAKDOWN
First Set
- Hornsby opened the set with a kill, and Hancock later tied it at 2-2, but Hardin-Simmons answered with five straight points to move ahead 7-2.
- Hardin-Simmons extended the margin to 14-5, and despite kills from Sims and Server, ETBU remained down 18-8.
- The Tigers used a Hancock kill, a Stewart ace, and a Hancock block to get to 18-11, then later added a Server/Bobnar block and a Temple ace before Hardin-Simmons closed the set 25-17.
Second Set
- ETBU scored the first three points and led 5-2 after Bobnar's second kill, but Hardin-Simmons answered with six straight points to move in front 8-5.
- The teams traded points through the middle of the set, with Temple's ace tying it at 16-16 and Server's kill tying it again at 17-17 before Hardin-Simmons pushed ahead 21-18.
- Riley's kill got ETBU back on serve, and Stewart served the next four points as Hornsby and Bobnar added kills to put ETBU up 23-21.
- Hardin-Simmons tied the set at 23-23, but the Tigers took the last two points, closing the 25-23 set on a Hancock and Bobnar block.
Third Set
- After Hardin-Simmons scored the first point, ETBU moved ahead 3-1 behind kills from Hornsby and Sims and a block by Hancock.
- The middle of the set stayed tight, with the Tigers going up 14-12 on consecutive Hardin-Simmons attack errors before the teams played through repeated ties to 24-24.
- ETBU answered Hardin-Simmons points at 25-24, 26-25, 27-26, 28-27 and 30-29, then Hornsby delivered consecutive kills to close the set 32-30.
Fourth Set
- The set stayed tight through a 15-15 tie, with ETBU getting early kills from Hornsby, Riley and Server.
- After a Hardin-Simmons attack error put the Tigers ahead 16-15, LeJeune served four straight points, including kills by Hornsby, Riley and Server and a block by Riley and Server, to make it 20-15.
- Hardin-Simmons cut the margin to 22-21 behind three kills during a late push.
- Hancock answered with back-to-back kills, and Sims closed the 25-22 set win with a kill.
ETBU Top Performers
Lara Hornsby
- team-high 18 kills
- 19.0 points
- 7 digs
Anita Hancock
- 11 kills on .333 hitting
- 9 total blocks, including 4 solo blocks
- 17.5 points
Katherine Server
- 11 kills on .474 hitting
- 4 total blocks
- 14.5 points
Claire Stewart
- team-high 26 assists
- 9 digs
- 1 service ace
Sydney Temple
- 21 assists
- 10 digs
- 2 service aces
