UMHB outside hitter Lauren Powell (The Woodlands, Texas/TWHS) and Howard Payne defensive specialist Shelby Bridges (Deer Park, Texas/DPHS) each helped their respective teams to big season-opening weekends to earn ASC Volleyball Player of the Week honors for games Aug. 30-Sept. 3.
 
OFFENSIVE: Lauren Powell, OH, So., Mary Hardin-Baylor
Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Powell (The Woodlands, Texas/TWHS) led Mary Hardin-Baylor to a season-opening 3-1 record, including wins over West Region-ranked Trinity (3-0) and Southwestern (3-2). Powell drilled 22 of her 46 weekend kills in the five-set, come-from-behind win vs. Southwestern (Aug. 30) and added 10 kills against Trinity. Over the weekend, Powell compiled a .242 attack percentage (46-14-132) and paced the defense with an 11.5 digs average.
 
DEFENSIVE: Shelby Bridges, DS, So., Howard Payne
Howard Payne defensive specialist Shelby Bridges (Deer Park, Texas/DPHS) collected seven service aces and a team-high 46 digs (3.29 ave.) to help the Lady Jackets to a quick 4-0 season start at the Eastern Mennonite University Invitational over Labor Day weekend. Bridges picked-up 20 digs and three aces in the five-set win against host EMU (Aug. 31). She added eight assists to her season statistics.
 
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES

OFFENSIVE: OH Kassie Freitag notched a double-double against Southwestern (15 kills/10 digs) en route to a 12.3 kill average over four matches at the UMHB Invitational.. ... Howard Payne MH Hannah Hicks was named to the Eastern Mennonite University All-Invitational team after recording 39 kills behind a .303 attack with nine blocks over the four tournament games. … MH Emma Clifford led Concordia Texas with a .396 attack (22-1-53) and 10 total blocks in three games at the Texas Lutheran Bulldog Classic. … UT Dallas MB Michelle Toro averaged 1.93 kills behind a .368 attack over four matches at the UMHB Invitational. … LeTourneau freshman OH Dolores Kroese hit a solid .300 (11-2-30) and picked-up nine digs in her first collegiate match, a 3-0 win vs. Belhaven (Aug. 30). ... MB Tori Martinez led Hardin-Simmons with 43 kills and seven blocks over four games at the UMHB Invitational. … The UT Tyler offense was paced by OH Breanna Brummett who posted a .363 attack percentage with a 3.7 kills average in three games at the TLU Bulldog Classic. ... OH Rachel Janssen led Mississippi College with 43 kills (2.69 ave.) and a .248 attack percentage in four games at the Huntingdon College Jubilee, including double digit kills totals in three games.
 
DEFENSIVE: OH Meredith Crawford totaled 4 aces, 77 digs (5.13 ave.) and averaged 2.93 kills in four matches at the UMHB Invitational. … Hardin-Simmons DS Ashley Babineaux totaled 51 digs (4.25 ave) in four games at the UMHB Invitational. … Libero Holly Tupper collected a Mississippi College weekend-best 91 digs (5.68 ave.) in four games at the Huntingdon College Jubilee, including 28 in a 3-1 win vs. Agnes Scott (Aug. 31). ... East Texas Baptist DS Hannah Jones set a career-high with 28 digs vs. Southwestern (Aug. 30), then closed with 21 digs against Trinity (Aug. 31) as the Tigers went 1-3 over the weekend. … Mary Hardin-Baylor OH Kendall Pye recorded 37 digs (9.25 ave) and totaled 13 blocks (3-10) in four games at the UMHB Invitational.
 
 
AROUND THE ASC / Notes submitted by member sports information staffs
 
CONCORDIA TEXAS: The Tornados opened the new season and the head coaching debut of Christy Clawson-Driver with a 3-0 sweep of St. Joseph’s-Long Island, then ended a 45-game losing streak to Texas Lutheran in a thrilling 14-25, 26-24, 25-23, 26-24 victory. The “W” against TLU was the first for Concordia since Sept. 11, 1992. … Katie Baker averaged 2.75 kills per set. … Concordia is at the Austin College Classic Friday and Saturday.
 
EAST TEXAS BAPTIST: The Tigers went 1-3 at the UMHB Invitational. The first season win came in a 3-0 sweep of Huston-Tillotson. … Melanie Moyer averaged 11.8 kills and 14.5 digs over the four-game weekend. … ETBU hits the road for a second weekend, playing at the UT Tyler Annual Invitational. Games are scheduled against Belhaven and Jarvis Christian on Friday and Rhodes and Centenary on Saturday.
 
HARDIN-SIMMONS: The Cowgirls began the year 1-3 at the UMHB Invitational. All three losses – Trinity, Southwestern and Wayland Baptist – came in four sets. … HSU swept Huston-Tillotson. … Hardin-Simmons will be tested in this weekend’s Randolph-Macon Invitational, squaring-off against No. 8 Emory, Averett, Maryville (Tenn.) and host RMC. Both HSU and Randolph-Macon were listed among teams receiving votes in the AVCA Division III Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
HOWARD PAYNE: The Lady Jackets begin the second weekend of the season as the lone undefeated ASC team (4-0). … HPU has four games scheduled Sept. 6-7 UT Tyler Annual Invitational. The Lady Jackets will challenge Rhodes and Jarvis on Friday and Belhaven and Centenary on Saturday.
 
LETOURNEAU: A young Yellow Jackets squad posted a 1-3 season-opening record, claiming a 3-0 sweep of Belhaven in the first game (Aug. 30). LeTourneau took host Hendrix to four games before dropping the close game (25-23, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23). …  LeTourneau makes a trip to Birmingham, Ala., for the Friday-Saturday Birmingham-Southern McAttack Volleyball Bash.
 
MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR: The Cru made the most of their season-opening home tournament, claiming victories over two West Region-ranked teams – Trinity (3-0) and Southwestern (3-2). … UMHB participates in the UT Tyler Annual Invitational Friday and Saturday. Games are scheduled vs. Rhodes, Centenary, Belhaven and Jarvis Christian.
 
MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE: The Lady Choctaws split play at the Huntingdon College Jubilee over the opening weekend. After losses to LaGrange (2-3) and Birmingham-Southern (0-3), MC rebounded with four-set wins on Saturday vs. host Huntingdon and Agnes Scott. … Sophomore Arielle Laurent made the most of her first starting stint totaling 35 kills, including a career-high 14 with just one error vs. Huntingdon. ... MC is at cross-town rival Millsaps on Wednesday then takes a six-day break before its Sept. 10 game at Belhaven.
 
SUL ROSS STATE: The Lobos spent Labor Day weekend at the University of Dallas Invitational, opening the year 0-4. Sul Ross State dropped three-game sets to Wisconsin-Superior and Dallas, took Millsaps to four games, and then pushed Arlington Baptist to a fifth game before falling 3-2 in its final tournament game. … SRSU is at the Austin College Classic Friday and Saturday, with games scheduled against Bacone, Austin College, Southwestern Assemblies of God University and Southwestern.
 
UT DALLAS: Comets head coach Marci Sanders and the UTD program each reached the 200-win milestone with the Aug. 31 three-set sweep of Huston Tillotson. Sanders and the UTD program are now 200-84 in 10 seasons. … UTD heads to the West Coast for the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational hosted by California Lutheran Friday and Saturday. The Comets will face No. 10 CLU, No. 18 Chapman and LaVerne (receiving votes).
 
UT TYLER: The Patriots posted a 2-1 record at the Texas Lutheran Bulldog Classic to open the season. Both wins were 3-0 sweeps coming against St. Joseph’s-Long Island and Concordia Texas. … UT Tyler plays host to Centenary, Belhaven, Rhodes and Jarvis in its games at the UT Tyler Annual Invitational.