Albuquerque, N.M. – Houston Christian volleyball wrapped up its weekend at the Lobo Invitational on Saturday afternoon, falling 3–0 (25–18, 25–23, 25–19) to host New Mexico inside Johnson Center.
The Huskies (0–3) battled point-for-point in the opening frame, jumping out to an early 6–2 lead behind a service run from
Savanna Stevens, who dropped in an ace and forced a pair of Lobos attack errors. Senior
Cassidy Drapela and junior
Allana Archie combined for early kills, but UNM responded with a late push to take the set, 25–18.
Set two was the tightest of the match, as HCU held narrow leads late behind the play of
Katy Barger and Archie, who combined for 11 kills in the frame. Setter
Madison Hess guided the offense with 26 assists on the afternoon, spreading the ball to multiple hitters. The Huskies held set point at 23–22, but New Mexico answered with a 3–0 run to edge out the 25–23 win.
In the final set, Drapela and Medford kept the Huskies within reach early, while Stevens added her team-high fourth ace of the match. Archie continued to pace the attack, finishing with 11 kills and a .400 hitting percentage, but UNM pulled away late to close the sweep 25–19.
Archie led HCU with 11 kills, while Drapela added 9 and Barger tallied 8. Hess posted 26 assists and 4 kills, and Byerly anchored the defense with 13 digs. Stevens contributed 6 digs and 4 aces. At the net, Archie, Redrow, and Medford each posted 2 blocks.
New Mexico (2–1) was led by Naomi Chankoumi with 13 kills and Gioia Riccato with 11. Setter Madeleine Miller dished out 40 assists, while three Lobos registered 3 blocks apiece.
The Huskies will return home next weekend to host the Molly Howard-Gerwig Memorial Tournament at the Sharp Gym. HCU will face St. Thomas (MN) and Southern Miss on Friday, September 5, before closing the event against Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, September 6.
