HOUSTON – HBU junior
Bailey Banks recorded a double-double in all four matches on the weekend, finishing with 15 kills and 16 digs in a 3-1 (25-16, 27-25, 20-25, 25-19) victory over Toledo in the finale of the Barcelona Labor Day Classic Saturday night at Sharp Gym.
Banks was named MVP of the tournament for the Huskies (4-4), while senior setter
Kayla Armer and senior outside hitter
Melissa Fuchs joined her on the all-tournament team. Fuchs had 12 kills and eight digs against Toledo, while Armer had 41 assists, four kills, nine digs and four blocks. Junior middle blocker
Blair Gillard added seven kills and nine blocks, while sophomore middle blocker Sophie Zielenski hit .583 with nine kills and sophomore defensive specialist
Rachel Angeles had 11 digs. Junior libero
Hailey Erickson totaled seven assists and six digs.
Saige Thomas and Gracey Tuifua led the Rockets (4-2) with 12 kills each, while Mary O'Conner had 11. Maurissa Leonard led Toledo defensively with 19 digs and Andrea Stephenson chipped in with 14. Carly Townsend handed out 47 assists and had five blocks.
HBU hit .222 for the match, while holding Toledo to .140. The Rockets outdug the Huskies, 57-54, and blocks were even at 10 apiece.
The Huskies suffered their lone defeat of the weekend to Northern Colorado in their afternoon match, 3-1 (43-45, 25-19, 25-21, 25-18). HBU and Northern Colorado tied the NCAA Division I record with 88 combined points in a set, matching a 45-43 set between Manhattan and Rider on Oct. 23, 2009.
Fuchs had 18 kills and Banks tallied 16 as each recorded a double-double and tied for the team lead with 21 digs. Senior rightside
Ashlee Vann had 11 kills, while Armer totaled 47 assists, five kills, and 11 digs. Gillard posted eight kills and three blocks, while Angeles had a career-high 18 digs and Erickson had 15 digs and five assists.
Kortney Lockey led the Bears (2-3) with 20 kills and added 15 digs, while Alex Kloehn had 17 kills and Natalya King had 10 and five blocks. Ashley Guthrie had 54 assists, seven kills, 12 digs and five blocks. Makenna Meier led UNC with 25 digs and two others were in double figures with Kayla Uyemara recording 16 and Taylor Els with 15.
UNC hit .272 for the match, while HBU hit .168, and the Bears outdug the Huskies, 98-90. The Bears also outblocked the Huskies, 12-3, and served up 13 aces to HBU's six.
The Huskies return to action when they host Prairie View A&M Tuesday at 7 p.m., before staying in town to compete in the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup hosted by Houston this weekend.
