BEAUMONT, Texas – Record-setting performances by HBU senior setter
Kayla Armer and junior outside hitter
Bailey Banks led a furious comeback, but the Huskies were outlasted by Lamar, 3-2 (24-26, 23-25, 25-23, 34-32, 14-16), in Southland Conference volleyball Tuesday night at McDonald Gym.
Armer posted the first triple-double in HBU history with 62 assists, 11 errorless kills, and 11 digs, while Banks recorded a school-record 30 kills in the rally scoring era, while coming up with 17 digs and four blocks. Senior right side
Ashlee Vann added 19 kills, senior outside hitter
Melissa Fuchs had 12 kills and 20 digs and junior middle blocker
Blair Gillard had nine kills and three blocks. Junior libero
Hailey Erickson led the Huskies (17-12, 8-5 SLC) defensively with 21 digs.
Chelsea Grant hit .375 and led Lamar (6-19, 6-7) with 28 kills, while Amy Hollowell had 15 kills and 16 digs. Murielle Hlavac pitched in with 13 kills and 13 digs, while Tomar Thomas had 11 kills and Carlyn Stella had 10. Haley Morton dished out 38 assists and had 11 digs and Ashley Ellis had 37 assists. Lauren Stahlman led the Cardinals with 20 digs.
The Cardinals outhit the Huskies, .282-.275. HBU outdug Lamar, 83-73, and outblocked them 8.0-6.5.
HBU led by four at 17-13 in the first set, but Lamar scored five of the next six points to knot it at 18. The Huskies led at 23-22, but Thomas tied it with a kill and the Cardinals took the lead on a Huskies error. Banks tied the frame, 24-24, but Thomas slammed down a kill and an ace by Ashley Ellis gave Lamar a 26-24 decision.
Lamar took a five-point lead at 14-9 in the second, but HBU scored six of the next seven to tie it at 15. The set remained tied at 21, until three-straight points on a pair of kills by Grant and one by Hollowell sent the Cardinals to set point, then closed out the set 25-23 to take a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
Neither team led by more than two during the set. Trailing 22-21, the Huskies got consecutive kills by Banks, Armer, then Banks again to got to set point at 24-22. After a sideout by the Cardinals, Banks put the set away with a kill for a 25-23 win.
The Huskies broke a 5-5 tie in the fourth with a five-point run, which included a pair of kills by Gillard, a kill and an ace by Fuchs. HBU extended its lead to as many as nine at 16-7, but Lamar chipped away, then used a three-point spurt to get back within two at 21-19. The Cardinals fought off four set points by scoring five-straight behind three kills by Grant to lead, 25-24. Lamar had five set points, but HBU answered with a sideout each time, then took the lead at 30-29. With the set tied, 32-32, Vann buried a kill, then an attack error clinched the set, 34-32, for HBU and sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
HBU jumped out to a four-point lead in the fifth and still led by that margin at 11-7. Trailing 12-9, Lamar scored four-straight points to take its first lead of the set. The Cardinals had set point at 14-13, but Gillard came through with a kill. Thomas regained the lead for Lamar with a kill, then an HBU attack error gave the Cardinals a 16-14 victory.
The Huskies will be back in action for their final road match of the season against Abilene Christian Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Abilene, before returning home for their final two regular-season matches against Incarnate Word on Thursday, Nov. 10, followed by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Senior Day Saturday, Nov. 12 at 11 a.m.
