Box Score
Albuquerque, N.M. – Houston Christian volleyball opened the 2025 season with a pair of matches at the Lobo Invitational on Friday, falling to Northern Arizona and Manhattan inside the University of New Mexico's Johnson Center.
In their first match of the day, the Huskies (0-2) started strong in the opening set, trading early points with the Lumberjacks before a mid-frame run pushed NAU ahead. Despite kills from
Allana Archie and
Sa'Myah Medford, NAU's blocking presence proved decisive, recording nine blocks in the set to seal a 25-16 win.
The Huskies fell in straight sets (25-16, 25-15, 25-14), falling in large part due to 28 attack errors while the Lumberjacks hit .276 with 10 errors across the three sets.
Archie led HCU with 10 kills, Medford added eight, and Drapela chipped in four. Hess tallied 14 assists, Allen added 7 in her collegiate debut, and
Bianca Byerly led the defense with 10 digs. Transfer middle
Hannah Redrow contributed two blocks.
Hanah Stoddard paced NAU with 12 kills and 11 digs.
In the evening, the Huskies nearly broke through against Manhattan (1-1). In set one,
Katy Barger came alive offensively, recording multiple kills to keep the Huskies within striking distance, but a late Jasper surge closed the set, 25-22.
The second set was the tightest battle of the day. HCU rallied behind Barger, Archie, and Drapela, while Hess spread the offense with 29 assists on the match. The Huskies held set point at 27-26, but Manhattan answered with three straight points to steal it, 29-27.
Manhattan pulled away in the third set, 25-19. HCU had six blocks from Smith and showed a balanced offense from Barger (12 kills), Archie (7), and Drapela (6). Byerly anchored the back row with 11 digs, while Hess notched a double-double with 29 assists and 10 digs. Manhattan was led by Fiona VanDyke (14 kills) and Hanna Kaczynska (13 kills, 4 blocks).
The Huskies close out their weekend at the Lobo Invitational on Saturday afternoon, taking on host New Mexico at 1:30 p.m. CT.
