Belton, Texas – East Texas Baptist and Mary Hardin-Baylor secured their spots in the ASC Volleyball Championship Match following semifinal action Friday on the campus of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Tigers and Crusaders will meet Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Belton with the conference title on the line.

Hardin-Simmons and Schreiner saw their championship runs come to an end in Friday’s semifinal action, with both teams falling in four sets.

East Texas Baptist enters the championship at 22-5 overall, while Mary Hardin-Baylor sits at 21-6 after claiming the ASC regular-season title. The two teams split their regular-season series, with the Cru taking the first meeting 3-1 before the Tigers responded with a 3-1 victory in the rematch.

No. 2 East Texas Baptist 3, No. 3 Hardin-Simmons 1 (17-25, 25-23, 32-30, 25-22)
East Texas Baptist dropped the first set, then won three straight to defeat Hardin-Simmons in Friday’s first semifinal and advance to the ASC Volleyball Championship Match.

Hardin-Simmons took the opening set 25-17, but ETBU evened the match with a 25-23 win in the second. The Tigers saved six set points in the third and won it 32-30 on back-to-back Lara Hornsby kills. ETBU broke a 15-15 tie in the fourth with a five-point run and closed out the match 25-22. Hornsby, the ASC Player of the Year, led the Tigers with 18 kills. Anita Hancock added 11 kills, and Katherine Server had 11 kills on .474 hitting. Claire Stewart had 26 assists, and Sydney Temple added 21.

Ellie Carter led Hardin-Simmons with 15 kills. Avery Tumlinson added 12 kills, and Jadyn Hernandez had 11 kills with six blocks. Allison O’Shaughnessy had 25 assists, and ASC Defensive Player of the Year Brylee Pursley had 18 digs.

No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor 3, No. 4 Schreiner 1 (26-28, 25-14, 25-23, 25-19)
Top-seeded Mary Hardin-Baylor overcame an opening-set loss to defeat Schreiner in four sets Friday night, earning a spot in the ASC Volleyball Championship Match on its home court at the Mayborn Campus Center.

Schreiner took the opening set 28-26 behind back-to-back aces from ASC Setter of the Year Harlie Gallaspy late in the set. The Crusaders responded with a 25-14 win in the second, then held off the Mountaineers 25-23 in the third. In the fourth, Natalie Hughes served seven straight points, including two aces, as UMHB pulled away for a 25-19 win.

Lilli Sandoval led UMHB with a 15-kill, 11-dig double-double, while ASC Freshman of the Year Ava Ribakovs recorded 23 assists, nine kills and 21 digs. Angie Garcia added a match-high 25 digs. Giana Hilliard paced Schreiner with 19 kills and 20 digs, while Gallaspy finished with five aces.