>>NOVEMBER 2-3, 2007
TLU Holds Off HSU For ASC Championship
RICHARDSON, TX - Texas Lutheran University held off Hardin-Simmons to claim the 2007 American Southwest Conference volleyball championship Saturday at the University of Texas at Dallas' Activity Center, winning a dramatic five-game match. TLU, 22-6, won the title with a 28-30, 30-20, 30-18, 28-30, 17-15 win in the championship game after HSU rallied to win both the first game and send the deciding fifth game into a dramatic 17-15 victory. With the championship, TLU earns the ASC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III national playoff tournament beginning next weekend.
TLU's Kristen Eldridge was named the tournament MVP, and was joined by teammates Jessica Stetler and Jamie Johns on the All-Tournament Team. Other members of the honor squad were Kaela Parnell and Amanda Curry of Hardin-Simmons, Texas-Dallas' Kathryn Adams and McMurry's Terah Brown.
MATCH SUMMARIES:CHAMPIONSHIP: TEXAS LUTHERAN def. HARDIN-SIMMONS
28-30, 30-20, 30-18, 28-30, 17-15
For the second time in the tournament, TLU needed five games to earn the match victory. TLU, which improved to 22-6, built up a dominating 25-16 lead in the first game of the match only to see HSU go on a 14-3 run and get a 30-28 win.
The Bulldogs then seemed determined to run away with the match, easily winning the next two games 30-20 and 30-18, but HSU (22-9) came to life in the fourth game to hold off a late TLU rally for a 30-28 win. Then, the final game went back and forth with multiple lead changes. The Bulldogs had a 14-11 lead in the final game, but HSU rallied for four straight points to go up 15-14. TLU then got the lead back on kills by Kristen Eldridge and Amber Meeks before winning the match on a misplayed ball by the Cowgirls.
TLU ended up with five players with double-figure kills as the Bulldogs put down 73 kills as a team. Jessica Stetler had 17 to lead TLU while Kaela Parnell topped HSU with 24. BOXSCORE
SEMIFINALS: TEXAS LUTHERAN def. TEXAS-DALLAS
24-30, 30-21, 30-28, 25-30, 15-12
Texas Lutheran needed five games to get past tournament host and East Division top seed Texas-Dallas, winning 24-30, 30-21, 30-28, 25-30, 15-12. The Bulldogs (21-6) advance to meet defending ASC champion Hardin-Simmons in the tournament final Saturday at 2 pm.
UTD (21-10) put up a fight, winning the first game impressively, but trailing throughout the second and third game of the match to fall into a 2-1 hole. The Comets then rallied to tie the match up again with a 30-25 win in Game 4. TLU then won the match with an 8-3 run at the end of the fifth and deciding game after trailing 9-7.
TLU had four players finish in double-figure kills, led by Amber Meeks and Jessica Stetler with 15 each. UTD got a combined 33 kills from Amber Wetz and Kyleigh Irish, but Kat Adams kept the Comets in the match wtih a 41-dig performance in the back court. BOXSCORE
SEMIFINALS: HARDIN-SIMMONS def. McMURRY
30-28, 30-18, 33-31
The West Division top seed Hardin-Simmons Cowgirls (23-9) ended McMurry's Cinderella dream in the first semifinal match, but it wasn't easy. HSU had to rally from behind twice, then fight off McMurry to take a 30-28, 30-18, 33-31 victory
The hot McMurry team came out smoking early, building a 9-1 lead in Game 1 and was within a point of winning at 29-24 before HSU caught fire with six straight points to rally for a 30-28 win. HSU made it look even easier in the second game, running off to a 12-point victory.
But the third game turned into a barnburner. McMurry went on a 9-1 run late to take another 29-24 lead only to see HSU score five straight to tie the score at 29-29. The two teams then exchanged the lead twice before the Cowgirls advance to the championship match with a 33-31 win. Kaela Parnell led HSU with 14 kills.
HSU, the defending ASC champion, will play Texas Lutheran for the title at 2 pm Saturday. BOXSCORE
QUARTERFINALS: TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIV. def. MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR
30-27, 30-24, 30-24
Texas Lutheran University took care of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor despite a stiff challenge from the East Division No. 3 seed to advance with a 30-27, 30-24, 30-24 quarterfinal victory.
TLU, 20-6, knocked down over 20 percent of its attacks to record 57 kills and had 97 digs in just three games. Jamie Jahns led the way with 16 kills while Jessica Stetler added 14 and Kristen Eldridge had 11, hitting .375. UMHB, whose season ended at 13-19, still had 36 kills and 3 blocks. Erin Davis topped the team with seven kills.
TLU advances to meet tournament host Texas-Dallas in the semi-final match at 7:30 pm. BOXSCORE
QUARTERFINALS: McMURRY def. EAST TX BAPTIST
27-30, 30-23, 30-27, 26-30, 15-9
McMurry University rallied from a one game deficit, then dominated the fifth game of a quarterfinal match that went the distance, advancing in the American Southwest Conference Volleyball Championship Tournament with a 27-30, 30-23, 30-27, 26-30, 15-9 win over East Texas Baptist.
McMurry, 19-9 overall and the third seed from the ASC West Division, knocked out 20-11 ETBU, which was tied for the ASC East Division lead until just a week ago. McMurry had 71 kills, paced by Terah Brown's 18 and 17 from Erica English, and added 11 total blocks for points. ETBU, hit just .085 over the five-game match, paced by Katie Graves' 27 kills. The entire match was close until the final game, when McMurry rushed out to a big early lead and held on.
McMurry advances to meet Hardin-Simmons in a semi-final match at 5 pm. BOXSCORE