SHERMAN, Texas – The Concordia University Texas volleyball team split a pair of SCAC matches on Saturday at Hughey Gym, falling to Austin College in a five-set thriller before bouncing back with a four-set win over LeTourneau.
GAME ONE vs. AUSTIN COLLEGE: L, 3-2 (25-14, 28-30, 25-15, 18-25, 11-15)
The Tornados battled Austin College in a back-and-forth contest but were unable to hold off the Kangaroos in the final two sets, falling 25-14, 28-30, 25-15, 18-25, 11-15. Concordia finished with 59 kills, 54 assists and 80 digs in the match.
Brooklynne Fitzgerald led CTX with 16 kills and 19 digs for a double-double. Katherine Dedear added 12 kills while hitting .355, and Samantha Taylor contributed nine kills. Katelyn Marion also turned in an efficient performance with eight kills and a .400 hitting percentage.
McKinley Grimm paced the offense with a team-high 31 assists, while Aniyah Tompkins totaled 18 assists, seven digs and five service aces. Jade Romero anchored the defense with 20 digs, and Presley Bunting chipped in 12 digs.
Concordia dominated the opening set but fell in a hard-fought second set, 30-28. Austin College rallied to win the fourth and fifth sets and secure the match.
GAME TWO vs. LETOURNEAU: W, 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-19, 26-24)
CTX responded in the evening match with a 25-22, 21-25, 25-19, 26-24 win over LeTourneau. The Tornados posted 58 kills and 11 service aces while holding off the YellowJackets in a tightly contested fourth set.
Katherine Dedear led the attack with 11 kills and a .346 hitting percentage. Aubrey Hughes and Brooklynne Fitzgerald each recorded 10 kills, while Fitzgerald added a match-high 22 digs and four service aces. Samantha Taylor finished with nine kills, and Kennedy Carter added seven.
McKinley Grimm handed out 24 assists, while Aniyah Tompkins added 22 assists, 11 digs, three aces and four kills on a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage. Presley Bunting contributed 10 digs, and Jade Romero added eight digs defensively.
After splitting the first two sets, Concordia regained momentum by hitting .250 in the third set before edging LeTourneau 26-24 in the fourth to secure the victory.
Concordia Texas will next travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to take on Colorado College on Friday, October 30.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the CTX volleyball program, follow us on social media @ctxathletics and visit athletics.concordia.edu.
