RIVERSIDE, CA – Tarleton State Volleyball earned their first conference win on Thursday evening against California Baptist. The Texans notched their first win in Riverside and extended their win streak to two matches against the Lancers.
Tarleton (6-14 overall, 1-6 WAC) took down CBU (1-18 overall, 1-6 WAC) in five sets (20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 18-25, 15-11).
Tatum Busch absolutely shattered her previous career high of 13 kills with a match-high 23 on Thursday. Busch led the team in kills, followed by the birthday girl, Allison Bryant, with 20. This marked Busch’s first career match of 20-plus kills and the first time this season that two Texans recorded 20-plus kills in the same match.
Bryant led the team in digs with 22, followed by Addison Goss with 17. This was Bryant’s second match of the season with 20-plus digs, and Goss’s seventh match of the season in double figures. Goss also led the team with four service aces.
Busch posted a team-high .347 attack percentage, while Bryant followed with an efficient .306 percentage.
Megan Hodges successfully recorded her 10th double-double of the season, becoming the fastest Texan this year to do so. Yuna Ansquer also notched her fifth double-double this year. Ansquer led the team with 28 assists, followed by Hodges with 25. This is the sixth match this season where the duo has accumulated 20-plus assists each.
The Lancers came out hot during the opening set, taking an early 11-5 lead. The Texans battled back with a 6-0 run that included three consecutive aces from Ansquer to bring the Texans within one point, 18-19. However, CBU was able to hold off Tarleton’s rally, taking the opening stanza, 25-20.
The Purple and White were able to turn the tide in their favor during the second period, taking a commanding 11-6 run to open up the second. CBU rallied back to the 13-12 mark, however, Tarleton answered with a 7-2 run that included kills from Madison Frank, Busch, and Bryant. The Texans notched the match at one win apiece with a second set victory, 25-21.
The third frame was a testing battle for both squads, who exchanged up to 10 points back-and-forth without either team managing a run. Tarleton State was finally able to pull away at the 18-18 mark, going on a 5-0 run sparked by an ace from Goss. The Texans took a 2-1 advantage of the match with a 25-19 set victory.
During the fourth stanza, Goss accumulated two consecutive aces to give the Texans an early 7-5 lead. California Baptist rallied to tie the game at 11, and never let their foot off the gas from there, taking the fourth set, 25-18.
With the match tied in the fifth set, Tarleton was determined to receive their first conference win. The set began with a massive block from Emma Burke and Busch, followed by a CBU run to tie the set. Burke and Bryant registered back-to-back kills to put Tarleton ahead, 7-6. With the final game sitting at 11-10 and no points coming easy for either team, the Texans were able to pull through with a 4-1 run, clinching the match with a 15-11 fifth set victory.
The Purple and White will continue their road trip when they head to Phoenix, Arizona to take on Grand Canyon. The match will be held Saturday afternoon with first serve set for 4 p.m. CT.
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