[Story courtesy of HPUSports.com]
ALPINE — The Howard Payne University volleyball team took care of business in four sets (25-22, 25-23, 25-27, 25-19, 25-19) to defeat the Sul Ross State Lobos Tuesday (Sept. 26) on the road at Gallego Center.
The non-conference win improved Howard Payne’s overall record to 7-5 on the season.
Rylee McAlexander finished with 16 kills on the day to lead the Lady Jackets attack while finishing with a hitting percentage of .281.Makenzie Weddel also pitched in with five in the contest. Defensively, HPU had three players reach double figures in digs, including Brylee Awbrey’s 26, 23 from Kassidy Johnson, and 21 more from Weddel.
Game Notes
» Howard Payne had three players in double figures in digs.
» Makenzie Weddel had a match-high five aces in the win.
» Rylee McAlexander had a team-high 16 kills for Howard Payne.
» Howard Payne got a match-high 26 digs from Brylee Awbrey.
» Howard Payne attackers were helped by a match-high 38 assists from Riley Brittain.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Lady Jackets opened up an early one set to none lead, winning the first set 25-22. Howard Payne never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 15-14 in a set that featured nine ties and six lead changes. Howard Payne also supplemented their offense with three aces in the opening set.
SET 2 | Howard Payne took set two 25-23 to swiftly grab a 2-0 lead. The Lady Jackets survived a back-and-forth set to win in a stanza that featured two lead changes and was tied eight times. Neither team led by more than four points along the way.
SET 3 | Howard Payne saw its bid for a 3-0 sweep end when Sul Ross State took set three. The Lady Jackets rallied from a seven-point hole at 17-10, but Sul Ross State held on to win the set 27-25.
SET 4 | Howard Payne then responded to close out the match with a 25-19 fourth-set victory. The Lady Jackets trailed by as many as six points, but took the lead for good at 12-11 in a set that had just one lead change before the Lady Jackets took over the lead.
HPU will host East Texas Baptist University Saturday, September 30th in the Brownwood Coliseum at 1:00 PM.