DALLAS –
Mary Hardin-Baylor and
East Texas Baptist earned a share of the 2023 American Southwest Conference Volleyball Regular Season Championship. The most recent share of a regular season title was in 2010, which was when the league had divisions. Hardin-Simmons and Texas Lutheran were 14-4 to share the West Division.
Due to the tiebreaker determining number of total sets played in the team’s head-to-head matchups, Mary Hardin-Baylor earned the top seed and privilege to host due to a straight set sweep in Belton, while East Texas Baptist went five sets to win its meeting in Marshall.
This will be the 26th ASC Volleyball Championship Tournament held. The Championship will be held in Belton for a seventh time (2023, 2021, 2020-21, 2018, 2016, 2014, 1998) and fourth time in past six years. Prior to the recent run this decade, UMHB had last hosted the first-ever ASC Championship.
Mary Hardin-Baylor and East Texas Baptist earned a bye in the first round as the top two seeds. The opening round of the quarterfinals will be Thursday, November 9, with the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 10, and the championship on Saturday, Nov. 11.
The winner of the 2023 ASC Volleyball Championship Tournament is the ASC Champion and the conference AQ to the NCAA Div. III Championship.
Bracket
Tournament Central
No. 1 seed Mary Hardin-Baylor (26-1, 13-1) won a share of the ASC Regular Season Title, taking its first regular season title since 2021 when it also dropped only one conference match. That team was 17-1 that year. In five seasons without divisions UMHB has won three regular season titles (2014, 2021, 2022). The Cru will play the winner of Hardin-Simmons and LeTourneau on Friday. UMHB defeated both teams in 3-0 finals during its regular season matchups each time. The Cru have reached their 16th ASC Championship Tournament and are 23-18 all-time. They were edged in the semifinals by East Texas Baptist in five sets last season.
No. 2 seed East Texas Baptist (23-3, 13-1) won at least a share of the ASC Regular Season Title, its first one in the conference where there have been no divisions. The Tigers return a team that finished runner-up to UT Dallas in the 2022 ASC Championship. ETBU will play the winner of UT Dallas and Howard Payne on Friday. The Tigers are appearing in their 21st ASC Championship Tournament, which leads all programs. ETBU is 25-23 in the tournament after defeating McMurry and UMHB as the No. 3 seed a season ago and eventually falling to top seed UTD.
No. 3 seed UT Dallas (12-12, 10-4) will take on Howard Payne in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The Comets defeated HPU in both regular season matchups in 3-1 finals. UTD has won the past two ASC Volleyball Championships and has a conference-leading eight. This marks the 20th appearance for UTD in the tournament and the team is 33-18 all-time. The Comets defeated Hardin-Simmons and East Texas Baptist last year as the top seed en route to their title.
No. 4 seed LeTourneau (13-13, 7-7) takes on Hardin-Simmons in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 5:00 p.m. These teams split regular season matchups, with the YellowJackets prevailing 3-2 in Longview. LeTourneau was the No. 4 seed last tournament and fell to the Cowgirls 3-0 in the opening round. The YellowJackets are making their seventh appearance in the tournament and sixth in a row. They are 2-6 all-time.
No. 5 seed Hardin-Simmons (12-14, 6-8) faces LeTourneau in the first match of the quarterfinal round, as mentioned above. The Cowgirls topped LeTourneau in their most recent matchup in Abilene, 3-1. The Cowgirls swept LeTourneau in last year’s tournament quarterfinal as the No. 5 seed. This will be HSU’s 16th appearance overall and marks back-to-back appearances with its previous being a 14-of-15 stretch from 2005-19. HSU has 26 all-time wins, which is second-most in conference.
No. 6 seed Howard Payne (11-13, 4-10) completes the bracket and will face UT Dallas in the second match of the quarterfinals. Howard Payne went 0-2 against the Comets in the regular season. This is the third appearance for the Yellow Jackets, qualifying for the first time since 2016. The Yellow Jackets are in the tournament for the first time in this six-team bracket. HPU is seeking its first win in the tournament.