Box Score

HOUSTON – HBU rallied from a four-point deficit late in the third set to sweep Lamar, 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 27-25), and clinch the No. 6 seed in next week's Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament in the regular-season finale Saturday afternoon at Sharp Gym.
 
HBU freshman outside hitter Jessica Wooten recorded her ninth double-double of the season – all of which have been in conference play – leading the Huskies (14-17, 9-9 SLC) with 14 kills and 13 digs. Freshman setter Kayla Armer also had a double-double with 42 assists, 10 digs and four kills. Senior middle blocker Caiti Wenger hit .550 with 11 kills, no errors, and three blocks, while senior middle blocker Madeline Gaffney added nine kills as the pair played their final home match at HBU. Junior outside hitter Bailey Keith added seven kills, and junior outside hitter Megan McStravick had six kills and 11 digs against her former team. Junior libero Haley Hoffman also posted double-digit digs with 11.
 
Sierra Whitaker led Lamar (9-21, 7-11) with 14 kills, while Cortney Moore and Chelsea Grant had five kills each. Grant also recorded 10 blocks. Ashley Ellis had 30 assists for the Cardinals, while Megan Schwartz totaled a match-high 14 digs, and Erika Rojas added 12.
 
The Huskies outhit the Cardinals, .256-.171, and had a 57-44 advantage in digs. Lamar outblocked HBU, 11-4.
 
In the first set, HBU jumped out to a 9-3 lead behind three early kills by Gaffney. The Huskies pushed their lead to 20-9, but the Cardinals made a furious comeback. Trailing 21-10, Lamar ripped off six-straight points, before Wooten stopped the run with a kill. The Cardinals got to within two at 22-20, but the Huskies scored three of the last four points, including a kill by Wooten on set point, to claim a 25-21 win.
 
Lamar took the early advantage in the second set, scoring the first four points. HBU quickly regrouped and scored five in a row to take a 9-7 lead. The Cardinals tied the set 9-9 and the two teams remained within a point of one another, until Lamar scored on a kill by Madi Martin to take a 14-12 lead. The Huskies scored the next four, capped with an ace by McStravick. After Lamar sided out to cut HBU's lead to one, the Huskies scored four straight to go up, 20-15, and never relinquished the lead. HBU hit .324 in the set as they went on to a 25-18 decision.
 
The third set was close early as Lamar led 9-8, but the Cardinals scored five straight to take a six-point lead. The Huskies fought back to within two at 17-15, but the Cardinals scored twice to push their lead back to four. Lamar still led by four at 23-19, but HBU was not interested in extending the match any further and got kills from McStravick, Gaffney, Keith and Wooten to go on a five-point run to take a 24-23 lead. McStravick's serve on the first match point barely landed out of bounds as the Cardinals tied the set. Wooten had a kill to put HBU up by one, but a block by Grant and Whittaker tied the set again, 25-25. Another Wooten kill gave the Huskies a third match point, and on the next point, Hoffman played a ball the Cardinals couldn't handle as the match ended on a kill by the libero.
 
HBU will face third-seeded Oral Roberts in the first round of the SLC Tournament Friday, Nov. 22 at the Dugan Wellness Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.