VOLLEYBALL: YellowJackets close out ASC Dig Pink Crossover Challenge weekend
TYLER, Texas – The LeTourneau YellowJackets concluded the final ASC Dig Pink Crossover Challenge weekend of the season Saturday with a pair of hard-fought losses against West Division foes Howard Payne and McMurry.
In spite of the setback, the Jackets gave one of their finest showings of the season in a four-game match against 20-2 McMurry. The YellowJackets forced a fourth game with the Division II-bound Warhawks after winning game two by a score of 25-19.
First-year LeTourneau player Shana Evans (Gladewater, Texas/Gladewater) had one of the best days of her collegiate career, leading the YellowJackets in kills in both matches and recording her first two matches with 10 or more kills. Facing the Warhawks, Evans knocked down a career-high 12 kills against only three errors.
The Jackets will play four of their next five matches at home at LeTourneau University's Solheim Arena. The YellowJackets will host International Student Day when they face visiting UT Tyler on Friday at 7 p.m.
The LeTourneau volleyball team will be in action again on Saturday when Texas-Dallas pays a visit. The Jackets will be celebrating Family Day during Saturday's contest against the Comets, which is slated for a 2 p.m. start.
McMURRY 3, LeTOURNEAU 1
The YellowJackets put forth strong resistance against one of the top teams in the American Southwest Conference's West Division, extending the McMurry Warhawks to four games to close out the season's final Crossover weekend.
McMurry, which will move to the Division II Heartland Conference in 2012, won the match against LeTourneau by scores of 25-19, 21-25, 25-12 and 25-17.
Evans turned in her first double-double performance of her collegiate career as she tallied 12 kills and 14 digs for the YellowJackets.
Jo Runnels (Channelview, Texas/Channelview) finished a dig shy of a double-double of her own, registering 12 kills and nine digs against the Warhawks.
Jessica Zabojnik (Burleson, Texas/Burleson) tallied 18 digs to lead the YellowJackets defense against McMurry. Brooke Sheranko (Spring, Texas/Oak Ridge) handed out 27 assists and Kelsie Doran chipped in with 10 assists.
M.J. Vickers and Bailey Marcum knocked down 13 kills apiece for the Warhawks (20-2, 11-2 ASC West).
The Warhawks seemed poised to run away with the first game after taking a 20-7 lead, but a 5-0 LeTourneau run started to swing momentum toward the Jackets.
Down 22-13, the Jackets cut the lead further with a 6-2 run to pull to within five points before McMurry claimed a first-set victory. Evans served two aces during that stretch.
Trailing 12-9 in the second set, the Jackets embarked on a 7-1 run to claim a 16-13 lead. Chelsea Bowers (Anaheim, Calif./Orange Lutheran) knocked down two of her seven kills in helping LeTourneau claim the lead.
McMurry would claim a 19-18 lead later in the set, but the Jackets responded by winning seven of the last nine points; they scored the final four points of the set to tie the match at a game apiece.
After winning set three 25-12, the Warhawks were ready to claim an easy win in game four when they took a 22-9 lead. Not to be counted out, the Jackets scored the next seven points to pull within striking distance. April McCamey (Stephenville, Texas/Dublin) tallied two of her six kills during that stretch, and Bowers served two aces.
With their lead reduced to five, the Warhawks regrouped and scored the last three points to win the match.
HOWARD PAYNE 3, LeTOURNEAU 0
Evans reached the double-digit mark in kills for the first time in her career when she knocked down 11 for LeTourneau, but it was the Yellow Jackets of Howard Payne who claimed victory.
Scores of the match were 25-18, 25-14 and 25-16.
Tamika Heline of Howard Payne knocked down 11 kills of her own. Zabojnik led the LeTourneau defense with 10 digs.
In spite of the three-set win by Howard Payne, the match featured 16 ties and eight lead changes.
Sheranko led LeTourneau with 14 assists, while Doran added 10 assists for the YellowJackets from Longview. Sheranko added two block assists while McCamey assisted on three blocks in the match.
