Belton, Texas – The American Southwest Conference championship final was nothing short of electric, as No. 2-seeded East Texas Baptist rallied from two sets down to defeat top-seeded Mary Hardin-Baylor in five sets Saturday at the Mayborn Campus Center. The Tigers’ 3-2 win (18-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-9) marks their fourth consecutive ASC Volleyball Championship.
The Crusaders got off to a hot start, taking the first two sets 25-18 and 25-22. The Tigers answered in the third, hitting .375 to win 25-21, then evened the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth behind decisive defensive pressure. ETBU hit .429 in the deciding set and pulled away for a 15-9 win.
The Tigers had a balanced effort led by ASC Player of the Year Lara Hornsby, who finished with a double-double of 20 kills and 13 digs. Allison Sims added 13 kills, and Anita Hancock had 12 kills and nine blocks. McKinzie Riley added nine kills. Sydney Temple had 27 assists, and Sadie Kasowski led the back row with 23 digs.
Lilli Sandoval led Mary Hardin-Baylor with 18 kills. ASC Freshman of the Year Ava Ribakovs posted a triple-double of 12 kills, 15 assists and 10 digs. Natalie Hughes had a match-high 12 blocks, and Chloe Brandt added 23 assists.
Hancock was named Tournament MVP. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by ETBU’s Hornsby and Lindsey Gooch, Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Sandoval and Hughes, Hardin-Simmons’ Jadyn Hernandez and Schreiner’s Giana Hilliard.
With the win, East Texas Baptist earns the ASC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship. The field will be announced during the NCAA selection show on Monday, Nov. 16 at 12:00 p.m. CT (1:00 p.m. ET) on NCAA.com, with opening matches of regional play beginning Nov. 19.
2026 All-Tournament Team
Anita Hancock, East Texas Baptist, MVP
Lara Hornsby, East Texas Baptist
Lindsey Gooch, East Texas Baptist
Lilli Sandoval, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Natalie Hughes, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Jadyn Hernandez, Hardin-Simmons
Giana Hilliard, Schreiner