BELTON, Texas — Reverse sweeping No. 1 seed the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (21-7), No. 19 East Texas Baptist University (23-5) won their fourth consecutive American Southwest Conference Tournament Championship, 3-2 (18-15, 22-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-9), rallying after dropping the first two sets. ETBU rallied in a spectacular way, taking the final three sets 25-21, 25-19, 15-9 and finishing with a 65-50 edge in kills. The four consecutive ASC Championships ties the most won in a row with Hardin-Simmons University who did it from 2010 to 2013. It is also the seventh ASC Tournament Championship for the program which is the second most in the ASC behind former member Texas Dallas' eight.
Anita Hancock was named the ASC Tournament MVP as
Lara Hornsby and
Lindsey Gooch were on the ASC All-Tournament team.
"I am so incredibly proud of this team. The grit that they had to come back and reverse sweep UMHB in their home gym, I am just incredibly proud," said ETBU Head Coach
Mallory Matthews. "A lot of people counted us out this year, to be completely honest, to be a four-peat conference champion as I am honestly at a loss of words."
Lara Hornsby led the Tigers with 20 kills and 23 points while adding 13 digs and four block assists adding a double-double.
Anita Hancock recorded 12 kills and nine block assists for 16.5 points.
Allison Sims gave 13 kills, also.
Sadie Kasowski collected a team-high 23 digs and added six assists.
Sydney Temple finished with 27 assists, eight digs and two service aces.
"This team has worked so incredibly hard, working through some adversity," said Hancock. "I feel like our seniors and I willed our team to go get the win. We have worked so hard for this moment."
ETBU stayed with Mary Hardin-Baylor through the middle of the first set, taking a 15-13 lead after consecutive Mary Hardin-Baylor attack errors, including one on a
Katherine Server block. After Sims tied it at 16-16 with a kill, Mary Hardin-Baylor scored the next four points and kept the Tigers from getting back within reach taking the set 25-18.
ETBU erased a 19-14 deficit in the second set and moved in front 22-20, getting kills from Hancock and Hornsby during the late push. Mary Hardin-Baylor answered with the final five points, taking the set 25-22.
The Tigers won the third set 25-21, answering a 16-16 tie with kills by
McKinzie Riley, Server, and Hornsby to move in front 20-17. Hornsby added another kill for a 22-18 advantage, and
Lindsey Gooch and Sims delivered the final two ETBU points, with Sims finishing the set from
Carleigh Schluter.
ETBU erased a 3-1 deficit with eight straight points, turning it into a 9-3 lead behind seven service points in Server's rotation. Hornsby had two kills during the stretch, while Hancock combined on multiple blocks with Hornsby and Riley. In that run, ETBU posted a 10-point lead, twice. Mary Hardin-Baylor later cut a 23-13 margin to 23-19, but Sims answered with a kill, and the Tigers closed out the set, 25-19.
Opening the fifth set with six straight points, ETBU took the momentum right away starting with a Hornsby kill from Temple and continuing through five service points by Server. Hancock added multiple kills as the Tigers maintained separation, and Temple later served an ace to make it 12-5. ETBU finished the set 15-9 on a Mary Hardin-Baylor attack error to claim the championship.
ETBU will now head to the NCAA Division III National Tournament with the selection show on Monday.
SET BREAKDOWN
First Set
- The Tigers opened with kills from Hornsby and Riley, but Mary Hardin-Baylor moved ahead 6-3 before ETBU tied it at 6-6 on a Hancock kill, a Server/Ava Bobnar block, and a ball-handling error.
- The teams traded points through a 13-13 tie before the Tigers moved in front 15-13 on consecutive Mary Hardin-Baylor attack errors, including a Server block.
- Mary Hardin-Baylor answered with three straight points and, after a Sims kill tied it at 16-16, added four more to take a 20-16 lead. Server and Hornsby kills kept ETBU within 21-18, but Mary Hardin-Baylor scored the final four points to win the set 25-18.
Second Set
- ETBU stayed within one through a 9-9 start before Mary Hardin-Baylor used the middle stretch to move ahead 15-10 and later 19-14.
- ETBU rallied from there, getting a Hancock kill, two Mary Hardin-Baylor errors and a Hornsby kill to cut the margin to 19-18.
- After Mary Hardin-Baylor went back up 20-18, ETBU scored four straight points, with Hancock and Hornsby kills helping the Tigers move ahead 22-20.
- Mary Hardin-Baylor scored the final five points, including three blocks, to take the set 25-22.
Third Set
- ETBU and Mary Hardin-Baylor traded points through a 10-10 tie, with Sims, Hornsby, and Riley each putting down early kills for the Tigers.
- ETBU moved ahead 14-10 behind a Hornsby kill, a Sims kill, and a block from Hancock and Gooch, but Mary Hardin-Baylor later answered with four straight points to tie the set at 16-16.
- The Tigers responded with three of the next four points, including a Server kill and a Hornsby kill, to move back in front 20-17.
- After Mary Hardin-Baylor cut the margin to 23-21, Gooch and Sims delivered consecutive kills to close out the set 25-21.
Fourth Set
- After Mary Hardin-Baylor moved ahead 3-1, ETBU scored eight straight points, with Hornsby kills starting the response and Server serving the final seven points of the run for a 9-3 lead.
- The Tigers kept building through the middle of the set, getting kills from Hancock, Hornsby, Sims and Riley before a Hornsby ace and Gooch kill pushed the margin to 23-13.
- Mary Hardin-Baylor won the next six points to get within 23-19, but Sims stopped the run with a kill and a Mary Hardin-Baylor attack error closed ETBU's 25-19 set win.
Fifth Set
- Hornsby opened the set with a kill, and ETBU built a 6-0 lead as Server served five straight points, including kills from Hornsby and Hancock.
- Mary Hardin-Baylor answered with several points of their own, but the Tigers stayed in front as Hancock, Server, and Riley added kills and Temple served an ace for a 12-5 lead.
- Mary Hardin-Baylor pulled to 13-9 with three straight points, but Server followed with a kill and an attack error closed ETBU's 15-9 set win.
ETBU Top Performers
Lara Hornsby
- 20 kills
- 13 digs
- 4 blocks
- 23.0 points
Anita Hancock
- 12 kills
- 9 blocks
- 16.5 points
Sadie Kasowski
- 23 digs
- 6 assists
Sydney Temple
- 27 assists
- 8 digs
- 2 service aces
Katherine Server
- 7 kills
- 5 blocks, including 2 solo
- 11.5 points
