HOUSTON – Houston Baptist University battled back from a 2-0 deficit to Louisiana Tech to force a fifth set, but the Lady Techsters escaped with a 3-2 (25-20, 25-21, 17-25, 19-25, 15-9) victory to snap the Huskies' five-match winning streak in the finale of the Husky Classic Saturday afternoon at Sharp Gym.

HBU senior outside hitter Christie Dorch came off the bench to record her first double-double of the season with a team-high 13 kills and 13 digs. Junior outside hitter Heather Leaverton posted her fifth double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs with three blocks for the Huskies (12-4). Freshman outside hitter Jasmine Casey had nine kills and a career-high 21 digs and a pair of service aces, while senior middle blocker Jolie Graf had nine kills and three blocks.

Senior libero Courtney Whittleman was named tournament MVP and led the Huskies defensively with 27 digs, while junior setter Victoria Weatherly recorded her team-leading seventh double-double with 36 assists and 12 digs.

Clara Vido had 20 kills and 19 digs for Louisiana Tech (8-7), while Emily Maher had 13 kills and four blocks. Caitlin Germany added eight kills and five blocks, while Nataliya Panova had six kills and 17 digs. Bianca Vin had 41 assists and 14 digs, while Stephany Salas posted a match-high 35 digs.

Louisiana Tech hit only .138 for the match, but held HBU to a season-low .089 hitting percentage. The Lady Techsters had 102 digs, while the Huskies had 99. Louisiana Tech had 11 blocks to HBU's eight, but the Huskies had seven aces to the Lady Techster's two.

The Lady Techsters came out strong with a .433 hitting percentage in the first set and scored the first four points of the match. Louisiana Tech used a four-point run to take a 14-8 lead and another three points in a row to take a 20-12 lead to cruise to a 25-20 win.

HBU scored eight of the first nine points in the second set, but Louisiana Tech chipped away and got back to within one at 18-17. The Huskies held the lead at 21-19, but the Lady Techsters scored the last six points of the set to take a 2-0 lead with a 25-21 victory.

The Huskies finally broke through in the third, holding the Lady Techsters to a -.023 hitting percentage. After falling behind 6-4, HBU scored nine-straight points, including three kills and a block by Graf and a pair of aces by Casey, to take a 13-6 lead and go one to a 25-17 decision.

Dorch provided the spark for HBU in the fourth as the Huskies trailed 18-17. HBU tied the set on a block by sophomore middle blocker Caiti Wenger and Leaverton, then took the lead on a kill by Dorch. After two attacking errors by Louisiana Tech, Dorch recorded three-straight kills to complete the Huskies' seven-point run, then hammered home the set-winner to tie the match with a 25-19 score.

Louisiana Tech scored the first two points of the decisive fifth set and were never tied or trailed. The Huskies trailed 12-9 after scoring back-to-back points, but the Lady Techsters scored the final three points of the match.

In the first match of the day, Southern Miss swept Southeastern Louisiana, 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-15). HBU, Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech finished the tournament with a 2-1 record, while Southeastern Louisiana finished 0-3.

HBU won the tournament by virtue of a tiebreaker and Whittleman was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Leaverton and Casey. Vido, Southern Miss's Lauren Sears and Kelsea Seymour, and Southeastern Louisiana's Lindsey Young rounded out the all-tournament honorees.