AUSTIN, Texas – The Concordia Texas volleyball team split a pair of five-set battles on Saturday, defeating the University of St. Thomas 3-2 before falling to East Texas Baptist University 3-2 in the night cap.
Concordia opened the day with a thrilling victory over St. Thomas (25-21, 25-14, 22-25, 24-26, 15-10) inside the Deb & Don Christian Fieldhouse before hosting East Texas Baptist (25-23, 24-26, 14-25, 25-23, 8-15).
Concordia 3, St. Thomas 2
The Tornados began the day with a strong offensive performance, led by Brooklynne Fitzgerald, who recorded a team-high 16 kills on a .308 hitting percentage while adding 20 digs, three service aces and a block assist.
Kennedy Carter, Katherine Dedear and Samantha Taylor each contributed 10 kills, while Aubrey Hughes added eight kills and three service aces.
The setting duo of McKinley Grimm and Aniyah Tompkins combined for 47 assists, recording 24 and 23, respectively. Tompkins also added 11 digs, while Grimm contributed 10 digs and two service aces.
Concordia opened the match with a 25-21 victory in the first set, recording 16 kills and hitting .300 to establish early momentum.
The Tornados carried that momentum into the second set, delivering their most efficient offensive performance of the match. Concordia hit .357 with 14 kills and just four attacking errors to claim a convincing 25-14 victory and take a commanding 2-0 lead.
However, St. Thomas responded in the third set, taking a 25-22 decision to extend the match.
The Celts continued their comeback in a tightly contested fourth set that featured eight ties and five lead changes. Despite 15 kills from the Tornados, St. Thomas edged Concordia 26-24 to force a decisive fifth set.
With the match hanging in the balance, the Tornados regained their offensive rhythm in the final frame. Concordia recorded seven kills with just one attacking error, hitting .333 while limiting St. Thomas to a .000 hitting percentage.
The Tornados secured the fifth set 15-10 to complete the five-set victory and improve to 7-5 in conference play.
Concordia finished the match with 63 kills, 56 assists, 78 digs and 12 service aces while holding St. Thomas to a .145 hitting percentage.
Defensively, Jade Romero added 17 digs, while Katelyn Marion recorded seven kills and three total blocks.
East Texas Baptist 3, Concordia 2
Concordia battled throughout the contest but ultimately fell in five sets (25-23, 24-26, 14-25, 25-23, 8-15).
Taylor paced the Tornados offensively with a team-high 14 kills on a .306 hitting percentage. Hughes delivered an impressive all-around performance, recording 11 kills on a .308 hitting percentage while adding a team-high nine total blocks, including five solo blocks.
Dedear contributed eight kills and seven assists, while Jalyce Hodges and Fitzgerald added five kills apiece.
Grimm directed the offense with 24 assists, while Tompkins contributed 14 assists and two service aces.
Concordia opened the match with a hard-fought 25-23 victory in the first set, recording 14 kills and hitting .209.
The second set featured nine ties and six lead changes as both teams traded momentum. Despite 13 kills from the Tornados, East Texas Baptist narrowly escaped with a 26-24 victory to even the match.
The Tigers carried their momentum into the third set, holding Concordia to five kills and a negative hitting percentage en route to a 25-14 victory.
Facing a 2-1 deficit, the Tornados responded with their strongest offensive set of the match.
Concordia registered 17 kills on a .267 hitting percentage in the fourth frame, overcoming a competitive set that featured seven ties and five lead changes. The Tornados claimed a 25-23 victory to force their second fifth set of the day.
However, East Texas Baptist controlled the deciding frame, holding Concordia to three kills and a negative hitting percentage to secure a 15-8 victory.
The Tornados finished the match with 52 kills, 52 assists, 55 digs, 11 service aces and 12 total team blocks.
Fitzgerald led the defensive effort with 12 digs, followed by Romero with 10. Senior Presley Bunting added seven digs and three service aces.
Concordia Texas will next host Texas Lutheran in the regular season finale. First serve is set for 1pm with Senior Day fesitivities set for pregame.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the CTX volleyball program, follow us on social media @ctxathletics and visit athletics.concordia.edu.
