ARLINGTON, Texas – HBU literally blocked out a loss earlier in the afternoon to UC Davis and an 0-2 deficit to host UT Arlington as the Huskies stormed back for a 3-2 (18-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-5) victory over the Mavericks at the UT Arlington Maverick Volleyball Classic Friday at College Park Center.
After claiming the third and fourth sets to even the match, HBU made only one error in the fifth to blast UTA to the tune of 15-5 in the decisive frame. The Huskies hit .280 for the match, .371 after opening with a -.027 in the first set, and the difference was made on their defense at the net with 14 total blocks.
Senior outside hitter
Bailey Banks led HBU (8-3) with 17 kills to go along with 14 kills, while redshirt freshman right side
Ashtyn Richey recorded a career-high 16 kills and six blocks. Senior outside hitter
Jessica Wooten and senior middle blocker
Blair Gillard each chipped in with 10 kills, with Wooten also coming up with 12 digs and Gillard posting five blocks. Junior middle blocker
Kayla Davenport had five kills without an error and a career-high nine blocks. Freshman setter
Abby Gargus dished out 53 assists to go along with seven kills and seven digs, while senior libero
Hailey Erickson led the Huskies with 21 digs.
Qiana Canete had 25 kills and six digs for UTA (5-6) and Zhanelle Geathers tallied 20 kills, but made 14 errors. Madison McConnell added nine kills and Kylie Jedlicka had eight. Kailyn Gilbreath handed out 52 assists and had 13 digs, while Libbie Vickers had 27 digs and seven assists. Ashlynn Ford contributed 13 digs for the Mavs.
The Mavs hit a respectable .215 for the match, but could not slow the Huskies down once they got rolling. UTA outdug HBU, 65-63, and each team had four aces, but the Mavs blocked only six shots.
The fifth set was tied 4-4, but a kill by Banks ignited a six-point run. After a sideout by the UTA, Richey slammed home three-straight kills, Banks served up an ace, then Richey put the match away with her fourth kill in five points. The Huskies closed out the set with an 11-1 run.
HBU was within one in the first set at 18-17, but UTA scored five-straight before taking the set, 25-18. In the second, the Huskies trimmed a five-point deficit to one at 15-14 and eventually tied the set, 18-18. The two teams traded three-point spurts to remain tied at 21, but the Mavs scored the final three points of the set for a 25-22 decision to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
In the third, HBU led early, but UTA used a five-point surge to take a two-point lead. The frame was knotted at 14, but a pair of kills by Wooten led to four-straight points for the Huskies. The Mavs closed within two at 21-19, but the Huskies scored the final three points of the set, capped by a kill from Wooten to stay alive with a 25-20 win.
The fourth set was tied, 11-11, and a kill by Gillard, followed by freshman defensive specialist
Makenna Davis's ace, was just enough to give HBU an edge in the set. The Huskies never relinquished the lead, even though the Mavs stayed within three points and closed within one on several occasions. HBU led, 23-22, when Wooten and Gillard's back-to-back kills sent the match to the fifth.
In the early match, UC Davis claimed a 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-18) victory over HBU.
Banks led the Huskies with 11 kills, 12 digs and four blocks, while Wooten had eight kills and 10 digs. Richey posted six kills and Davenport and Gillard each recorded five blocks. Gargus had 26 assists and eight digs and Erickson led HBU defensively with 15 digs.
Brianna Karsseboom had 15 kills and 13 digs for the Aggies (8-5), while Emily Allen had 10 kills and nine digs. Maddie Merlino had 23 assists, Paloma Bowman had 10 assists and eight digs and Malia Bolko had nine assists and 17 digs.
UCD outhit HBU, .228-.108, outdug them, 59-52, and outaced them, 6-1. The Huskies held the advantage in blocks, 10-3.
The Huskies wrap up the tournament against Arizona State Saturday at 10 a.m.
