BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 BELTON, Texas – The Concordia Texas volleyball team, led by Tristyn Massey's career-high 26 kills, fended off two match points to complete the comeback to defeat Texas Lutheran in a five-set thriller as a part of a doubleheader sweep on Saturday at the Mayborn Campus Center.

The Tornados, playing in a round robin, faced Austin College and Texas Lutheran in Belton, Texas, defeating the Roos in four sets followed by the five-set win over the Bulldogs in the latter match and now are one win away from tying the program record for most wins in a single season.

In the nightcap, CTX rallied from a 2-1 set deficit, outlasting the Bulldogs in five sets, winning it 25-20, 24-26, 21-25, 25-21 and 19-17.

The Tornados had multiple players set career highs in the match, including Kyndall Ellis leading the team with a career-high 28 digs, while Sam Mendez tallied a career-high 18 kills in the match.

Rylee Davis, meanwhile, tallied three digs to become the fifth player in program history to reach 1000 digs in a career.

Concordia Texas won the opening set, hitting at a .204 mark and recording 16 kills as a team, including six from Mendez. Texas Lutheran closed the deficit to within one at 20-19, but the Tornados responded winning five of the next six points, capped off by a Sarah Ghormley kill.

Ghormley, meanwhile, finished the night with a double-double, racking up 13 kills and a career-high 21 digs in the match.

The Bulldogs, responded though, winning the next two sets by six points total and CTX trailed 2-1 in the match.

In the fourth set, the Tornados had their best statistical set of the match, totaling 16 kills once again and hitting at a .378 mark. Concordia Texas won four of the set's first six points and never relinquished the lead, forcing a winner-take-all fifth set.

In the decisive set, the Tornados fell behind early, but pulled even at 10-all after a 5-2 spurt.

Massey's 25th kill of the match gave CTX a 14-12 lead and a match point opportunity. The Tornados were unable to capitalize on the match point though, losing three straight points, and twice faced a Bulldogs' match.

Mendez, the senior out of Lubbock, Texas, was there both times with a kill to continue the match. Her 18th kill of the night would tie it up at 17-all. Ghormley then finished off TLU with back-to-back kills to secure their second win of the day.

In the first match of the day, the Tornados faced off against Austin College. After winning the first two sets, the Tornados had to fend off a late rally by the Roos, winning it in four sets 25-10, 25-18, 17-25, 26-24.

In the first two sets, it was all CTX as the team racked up 16 kills in each sets, including hitting at .469 mark in the opening set.

Massey, who recorded the first of her two double-doubles on the day with a game-high 15 kills and 16 digs performance, had eight kills through two frames.

Austin College did not go down without a fight though, winning the third set handily and forcing a fourth set.

In the final set, the Tornados fell behind 12-7 early on. The Roos maintained a five-point advantage late in the set after a kill to make it 20-15.

After an Ellis attack error, CTX faced set point at 24-22, but Mendez and Massey countered with back-to-back kills to even it at 24-all. Georgia Quiroz followed with a service ace and the Tornados won the match in four sets after an AC attack error ended the set.

Mendez finished the match with 13 kills with a .313 hitting percentage, while Lianne VanDyke registered a double-double, totaling 17 assists and 10 digs.

With the two wins, head coach Nicole McCoy-Dalby is now within one victory of reaching 100 wins in her coaching career at Concordia Texas.

The Tornados will now turn their attention to the American Southwest Conference Tournament.

The quarterfinals of the tournament are set to begin on Thursday at 5 p.m. in Richardson, Texas, where CTX will face McMurry. In their previous two matchups against the War Hawks this season, the Tornados won both in straight sets.

The winner of the quarterfinal match advances to the semis to face UT Dallas, the No. 1 seed out of the ASC East Division.