RICHARDSON, Texas – In back-to-back elimination games, the Concordia Texas volleyball team fended off UT Tyler and East Texas Baptist to advance to the semifinals of the American Southwest Conference Tournament on Friday.

In the first matchup of the day, against the East Division two-seeded Patriots, the Tornados fell behind early, dropping the first set 25-13.

The Tornados were able to bounce back and win a thrilling second set 28-26. In the set, CTX trailed 20-16 and was able to come back and grab a huge set win.

CTX used the momentum of the second set to win the third set 25-14 and set four 25-21.

Kelly Farina and Marissa Stinson both had 11 kills for the Tornados, while Georgia Quiroz picked up 40 assists in the match, marking the fifth time this season she has tallied at least 40 assists. Additionally, Marjani Myles had 10 kills and seven blocks in the match.

The Tornados held UT Tyler to a .054 hitting percentage in the match and advanced to the quarterfinal round to take on ETBU.

Against the Tigers, CTX fell behind once again, losing a tough first set 25-23.

The Tornados responded though, evening the match at 1-all with a 25-18 second set victory, hitting .292 as a team.

In the third set, CTX trailed 19-11 early. The Tornados would close out the set on a 14-5 run though as they saved two set points and won the final four points of the set capped off by a Sam Mendez kill and went up 2-1 in the match.

In the final set, the Tornados would finish off ETBU, winning it 25-18 and clinching a spot in the semifinals.

Four CTX players reached double figures in kills led by Stinson's 18 on the night. Mendez had a season-high 16 kills, while Quiroz had a career-high 52 assists in the match.

Next up, the Tornados will take on the West Division top seed Mary Hardin-Baylor at 11 a.m. from the UTD Activity Center with the winner advancing to the ASC Tournament championship game.