AUSTIN, Texas - The Concordia Texas women's volleyball team claimed a pair of wins in a doubleheader against Howard Payne University. Kaitlyn Ruiz tallied double-doubles in both matches, while Brooklynne Fitzgerald & Faith Zoch also earned a double-double inside the CTX Fieldhouse on Friday night.

Match One: W, 3-1 (25-15, 25-17, 20-25, 25-23)

Concordia came out on fire in set one as they surged to a 19-9 lead. The Yellowjackets cut the deficit to 21-14, but Concordia would claim game one at 25-15 with a kill by Camryn Parker to close it out. With the match tied at 8-8 in game two, another kill by Parker sparked a 6-0 run for CTX. The run would help Concordia go up two games to none. 

Howard Payne led 20-18 late in the third frame before winning their lone set of the first match at 25-20. It was a seesaw battle in the fourth game as both teams were knotted up at 22-all. The Yellowjackets went up by one, but a kill by Fitzgerald helped initiate three straight points for the set & match win. 

BOX SCORE STANDOUTS
Kaitlyn Ruiz 22 Ast, 16 Digs, 2 Aces
Brooklynne Fitzgerald 17 Kills, 16 Digs
Gabby Eads 16 Ast, 6 Ast, 2 Aces

Match Two: W, 3-2 (25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 16-25, 15-9)

With score tied at 17-17 in game one, both teams would trade points. Concordia would ultimately win the set with back-to-back kills by Savannah Kari & Madeline Vaughn. The Tornados led 19-18 in the second set before scoring the final six points with a kill by Zoch capping off the run. 

CTX came within one point of earning the sweep in match two as a kill by Zoch put them up 23-22, but Howard Payne would muster up three straight points to cut into the deficit at 2-1. Keeping up their momentum, the Yellowjackets would force a fifth and final set of the evening with a 25-16 victory in set four. 

Concordia flipped the switch in the fifth set as they surged to a 9-3 advantage. This would be enough to keep Howard Payne at a distance en route to the 15-9 win. 

BOX SCORE STANDOUTS
Faith Zoch 23 Digs, 19 Kills
Kaitlyn Ruiz 23 Ast, 16 Digs
Jordan Bruscato 20 Ast, 9 Digs

Concordia Texas will next travel to Conway, Arkansas to compete in the Hendrix College Tournament. They will first take on UMHB (12pm) & Rhodes College (3pm) next Saturday, September 21st. 

To keep up to date with everything surrounding the CTX volleyball program, follow us on social media (@ctxathletics) and visit athletics.concordia.edu.