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University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

UMHB Station Box 8363

900 College Street

Belton, TX 76513-2599

Phone: 1-254-295-4611

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UMHB NAMES KECIA DAVIS HEAD VOLLEYBALL COACH (02-20-06)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor has named Kecia Davis to be the school’s new Head Volleyball Coach, UMHB Vice-President for Athletics Ben Shipp announced today.

            Davis comes to UMHB from Columbus High School, where she spent the past 15 years as head volleyball coach. Davis guided the Columbus HS volleyball team to 14 playoff appearances in those 15 years and advanced to the Regional Quarterfinals twice during her tenure. She also took Columbus to the regional finals six times. Davis was a four-time District Coach of the Year and was a finalist for State Coach of the Year in 1993. Davis also coached basketball and track in addition to her teaching duties at Columbus High School. Prior to joining Columbus, Davis spent three seasons as head volleyball coach at Lexington High School and she guided the Lexington volleyball team to a Regional Championship and State Tournament appearances in 1990-91. She has also worked with basketball and volleyball camps at Texas A&M University and with volleyball camps at the University of Houston and Southwest Texas State University.

            “I am very anxious and excited to have the opportunity to work with the current volleyball players and those that plan on attending the University in the future,” Davis said. “I thank Coach Shipp and the rest of the search committee for the chance to start the tradition of ‘getting back on track’ with a competitive, winning volleyball program.”

            Davis is a 1986 graduate of Mary Hardin-Baylor and she was a four-year letter winner for the Crusader volleyball and basketball teams. She was an All-Conference and Academic All-Conference volleyball player and also won the Team MVP award. Davis received a Master’s Degree from Baylor University in 1987. She is a native of Killeen.

            “We are thrilled to bring in a coach of Kecia’s caliber to take over our volleyball program,” UMHB Vice-President for Athletics Ben Shipp said. “We are anxious to see her ideas for our program put into action.”

UMHB VOLLEYBALL PLACES FIVE ON ASC ALL-WEST DIVISION TEAM (11-07-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team placed five players on the American Southwest Conference All-West Division Team today. The Crusaders had one first-team selection and four Honorable Mention selections. The ASC All-Conference and All-Division Teams are selected in balloting of divisional coaches.

            Outside hitter Amanda Crawford was voted to the All-West Division First Team. Crawford, a junior from Palestine Westwood High School, led UMHB with 361 kills and 94 service aces this season. She hit .161 for the year and added 329 digs and 20 total blocks.

            Setter Stephanie Little led the four UMHB Honorable Mention selections. Little, a sophomore from Waxahachie High School, led the Crusaders with 1,060 assists and averaged 8.83 assist per game. She added 111 kills and a team-best .295 hitting percentage. Little also posted 37 service aces, 321 digs and 25 total blocks.

            Outside hitter Brandi Woodard was also named Honorable Mention All-West Division. Woodard, a sophomore from Killeen High School, was second on the team with 275 kills and she hit .147. Woodard added 19 assists, 18 service aces, 322 digs and 29 total blocks.

            Outside hitter Allison Daniel was also voted Honorable Mention All-West Division. Daniel, a freshman from Magnolia High School, hit .195 while posting 221 kills and 37 service aces. She added 52 assists, 205 digs and 49 total blocks this season.

            Outside hitter Lacey Williams joined Little, Woodard and Daniel on the Honorable Mention All-West Division Team. Williams, a freshman from Caldwell High School, hit .217 with 218 kills this season. She added 11 assists, 54 service aces, 255 digs and led the team with 76 total blocks.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO MCMURRY (10-29-05)

Abilene, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team could not come back from an early deficit and the Crusaders dropped a 30-16, 28-30, 30-18, 30-11 decision to McMurry University Saturday afternoon in Abilene. UMHB closes out the season with a 14-16 overall record and an 8-12 mark in American Southwest Conference play. McMurry University improves to 19-9 overall and 12-8 in the ASC and clinches an ASC Championship Tournament berth with the win.

            UMHB could not overcome 16 service errors and only hit .014 as a team. McMurry hit .207 as a team and served up 10 services aces. Amanda Crawford led UMHB with nine kills and Brandi Woodard added eight for the Cru. Stephanie Little had team highs with 15 digs and 25 assists. Kari Meuth led McMurry with 14 kills and Mallory Bryan chipped in with 13 for the Indians. Shannon Higgins had 41 assists and Bryan and Gabs Vigil had 16 digs apiece.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL TOPS HARDIN-SIMMONS (10-28-05)

Abilene, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team fought back from the brink of defeat in the final game and the Crusaders held on for a 30-27, 20-30, 30-26, 15-30, 17-15 five-game win over Hardin-Simmons University Friday night in Abilene. UMHB improves to 14-15 overall and 8-11 in American Southwest Conference play after knocking off HSU for the second time this season. The ASC West Division champion Cowgirls fall to 17-10 overall and 16-3 in the ASC with the loss.

            The Crusaders fought back from 9-5 and 13-10 deficits in game five to get the victory as UMHB hit .115 as a team and added 13 service aces. Hardin-Simmons hit .267 as a team, but the Cowgirls hurt themselves with 13 service errors, five blocking errors and eight ball-handling errors.

            Amanda Crawford led UMHB with 16 kills and she added five service aces. Stephanie Little had an outstanding all-around match for the Crusaders with 10 kills and team-highs with 31 assists and 17 digs. Taylor McFarland led HSU with 20 kills, Holly Amerena had 54 assists and Amber Montgomery led the Cowgirls with 14 digs.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL TOPS CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY (10-25-05)

Austin, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team took control of the match early and then held on as the Crusaders posted a four-game 30-27, 21-30, 30-22, 30-21 win over Concordia University Tuesday night in Austin. UMHB improves to 13-15 overall and 7-11 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The loss drops Concordia to 6-16 overall and 5-13 in the ASC.

            UMHB hit .254 as a team and added eight total team blocks in a solid hitting performance. Amanda Crawford led the Crusaders with a season-high 25 kills and Brandi Woodard added a career-high 24 kills for UMHB. Woodward also posted a team-high 22 digs while Stephanie Little recorded 58 assists for the Cru. Six different UMHB players reached double figures in digs. Michelle Heckmann led Concordia with 22 kills and Kaedy Hermes added 15 more for the Tornados. Jessica Holland had 44 assists and Annette Berain added 19 digs.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL SPLITS AT ASC CROSS-OVER TOURNAMENT (10-21-05)

Tyler, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team bounced back from a huge hole in the second match of the day for a thrilling five-game win and the Crusaders split their two matches at the American Southwest Conference Cross-Over Tournament in Tyler Friday evening. UMHB is now 12-15 overall and 6-11 in American Southwest Conference play on the season.

            The Crusaders lost the first two games against U.T.-Tyler before turning it on in the third game and rolling to a five-game 29-31, 17-30, 32-30, 30-25, 15-9 victory over the Patriots. Amanda Crawford had 19 kills for UMHB and hit .400 in the match. Brandi Woodard added 13 kills for UMHB and Stephanie Little had team-highs with 41 assists and 10 digs. Crawford also had nine service aces for the Crusaders in the victory. UMHB hit .257 as a team, added seven total team blocks and recorded 15 service aces.

            UMHB opened the day with a 30-19, 30-17, 30-26 loss to #25 Austin College. The Crusaders hit .270 as a team, but the Kangaroos hit .293 as a team and posted 11 total team blocks. Brandi Woodard led UMHB with 10 kills and Amanda Crawford added six more. Stephanie Little had a team-high 30 assists and Stephanie Secrest had eight digs for the Crusaders.

            The Crusaders will continue their season-ending road trip with a match at Concordia University Tuesday night in Austin. That match will start at 7:00 PM. UMHB will then close out the regular season with matches at Hardin-Simmons University and McMurry University next weekend.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO TEXAS LUTHERAN (10-18-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team made a late run at Texas Lutheran, but the Crusaders could not come all the way back from an early deficit in a four-game loss to the Bulldogs Tuesday night in Belton. TLU won 30-23, 30-28, 25-30, 30-28 to improve to 14-5 overall and 14-4 in American Southwest Conference play. The loss drops UMHB to 11-14 overall and 5-10 in the ASC.

            Amanda Crawford led UMHB with 21 kills and Brandi Woodard added 13 more for the Crusaders. Woodard also had a match-high 21 digs while Stephanie Little had 45 assists for UMHB. Angela Kopecki led the Bulldogs with 15 kills and Amber Meeks added 14 kills. Regan Paul and Mandy Bauer also reached double figures in kills for TLU with 12 and 10 respectively. Megan Purser had 48 assists for the Bulldogs and Melissa Mudge had a team-high 20 digs.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL BEATS HOWARD PAYNE (10-15-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team took control of the match early and the Crusaders rolled to a 30-20, 30-17, 30-28, three-game victory over Howard Payne University Saturday morning in Belton. The Crusaders improve to 11-13 overall and 5-9 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The loss drops Howard Payne to 3-21 overall and 2-13 in the ASC.

            UMHB hit .365 as a team in the match while HPU only hit .104 as a team. Brandi Woodward led the Crusaders with 13 kills and Amanda Crawford added 11 kills. Stephanie Little had 32 assists and Crawford also led the team with 13 digs. Sandra Fish led the Yellow Jackets with eight kills and Patricia Brown had 15 assists. Missy Dennis had a team-high 13 digs for HPU.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL EDGED BY SUL ROSS STATE (10-14-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team had chances to put Sul Ross State away, but the Crusaders could not finish the Lobos off Saturday night in Belton. Sul Ross State fought back from an early deficit to post a 26-30, 30-28, 27-30, 30-28, 15-10 win over the Crusaders. The loss drops UMHB to 10-13 overall and 4-9 in American Southwest Conference play. Sul Ross State improves to 11-10 overall and 8-5 in the ASC with the victory.

            The two teams battled each other toe-to-toe for five games with neither team able to take control for more than one game until Sul Ross finally grabbed control in game five. UMHB had a 16-8 lead early in game four with a chance to put the Lobos away, but Sul Ross responded with nine straight points to slowly gain the advantage. Amanda Crawford led UMHB with 28 kills and Brandi Woodard added 14 kills for the Crusaders. Stephanie Little had 51 assists and 10 kills for UMHB and Woodard also posted a team-high 34 digs. Raeanne Villalva led Sul Ross State with 21 kills and Athena Rivas added 14 more. Lillian Chavez had 31 assists and Villalva also added a team-high 21 digs. UMHB hurt itself with 16 service errors and Sul Ross recorded 12 service errors.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO SCHREINER UNIVERSITY (10-11-05)

Kerrville, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team grabbed an early lead only to see it slip away as the Crusaders dropped a five-game decision to Schreiner University Tuesday night in Kerrville. UMHB fell 23-30, 13-30, 30-26, 30-27, 15-13 and dropped to 10-12 overall and 4-8 in American Southwest Conference play. Schreiner University wins for the first time this season to improve to 1-16 overall and 1-12 in the ASC with the victory.

            Brandi Woodard led UMHB with 16 kills and Lacey Williams added 14 kills, a team-high 18 digs and five service aces. Stephanie Little had 10 kills and 47 assists for UMHB as the Crusaders hit .206 as a team. Kassie Barlow led Schreiner with 16 kills and Malorie Westerholm added 48 assists for the Mountaineers. Rachel Mikulec had 12 kills and Stacy Lopez added 10 more for Schreiner.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL LOSES TWO ON FINAL DAY OF ASC CROSS-OVER TOURNAMENT (10-08-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team dropped both matches on the final day of the American Southwest Conference Cross-Over Tournament Saturday in Belton. The Crusaders fall to 10-11 overall and 4-7 in ASC play with the two losses.

            UMHB opened the day with a 30-27, 27-30, 30-21, 30-19 loss to Mississippi College. Brandi Woodard led the Crusaders with 18 kills and Allison Daniel added 11 more. Stephanie Little had a team-high 35 assists and Sarah Moore led UMHB with 21 digs.

            The Crusaders then fell to East Texas Baptist 30-21, 30-20, 30-27 to close out the tournament. Woodard again led UMHB with nine kills and Lacey Williams had 12 digs. Little again posted a team-high with 13 assists.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL SPLITS ON FIRST DAY OF ASC CROSS-OVER TOURNAMENT (10-07-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team dropped a five-game heartbreaker to close out the day after a solid four-game win in the opener at the first day of the American Southwest Conference Cross-Over Tournament Friday in Belton. The Crusaders are now 10-9 overall and 4-5 in American Southwest Conference play following the split.

            UMHB opened the day with a 30-23, 30-19, 23-30, 30-15 victory over LeTourneau University. The Crusaders hit .140 as a team and added 10 service aces. Amanda Crawford led the way with 18 kills and Brandi Woodard added 10 more. Woodard also matched Lacey Williams for the team lead with 20 digs and Stephanie Little had 39 assists for UMHB.

            The Crusaders then dropped a five-game heartbreaker to U.T.-Dallas after taking the first two games from the Comets in a 25-30, 25-30, 30-26, 30-14, 15-5 loss. Amanda Crawford had 20 kills, 14 digs and six service aces despite missing the final game with an injury. Stephanie Little had 37 assists and 14 digs for the Crusaders. UMHB hurt itself by committing 10 service errors and giving up 15 service aces to the Comets.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO HOWARD PAYNE (10-05-05)

Brownwood, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team could not dig its way out of an early hole and the Crusaders fell to Howard Payne 30-18, 30-27, 19-30, 30-21 Wednesday night in Brownwood. The loss drops UMHB to 9-8 overall this season and 3-4 in American Southwest Conference play. Howard Payne improves to 3-14 overall and 2-7 in the ASC with the victory.

            Lacey Williams and Amanda Crawford led UMHB with 11 kills apiece and Sarah Moore added 10 kills for the Crusaders. Stephanie Little had 41 assists and Crawford posted a team-high 23 digs. Katie Preuss led Howard Payne with 13 kills and Destiny Barry added 10 more. Missy Dennis had three service aces and a match-high 28 digs for the Lady Jackets. UMHB actually out hit HPU in the match, posting a .187 attack percentage while the Lady Jackets hit .172 as a team. The Crusaders hurt themselves with eight ball-handling errors and nine service errors.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL EDGES MCMURRY UNIVERSITY (10-01-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team fought back from the brink of defeat with a solid effort in the last two games and the Crusaders held on to post a 27-30, 31-29, 26-30, 30-28, 15-7 win over McMurry University Saturday afternoon in Belton. UMHB improves to 9-7 overall and 3-3 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The Crusaders also topped last season’s victory total with the win. McMurry falls to 13-3 overall and 6-2 in the ASC with the loss.

            UMHB was led by Amanda Crawford’s 18 kills and Loretta Easley added 14 kills for the Crusaders. Stephanie Little had 49 assists and 25 digs and Stephanie Secrest also added 25 digs. Ashley Tibbets had a match-high 21 kills for McMurry and Kari Mueth added 15 kills. Gabs Vigil had 21 digs and Shannon Higgins added 36 assists and 12 kills.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO HARDIN-SIMMONS (09-30-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team dominated the first game, but the Crusaders struggled the rest of the way as UMHB dropped a four-game decision to Hardin-Simmons 16-30, 30-24, 30-14, 30-26 Friday night in Belton. The loss drops the Crusaders to 8-7 overall and 2-3 in American Southwest Conference play. The defeat is also the first for UMHB in the new Mayborn Campus Center. Hardin-Simmons improves to 7-5 overall and 6-0 in the ASC with the victory.

            UMHB dominated the first game, opening up an 18-5 lead and coasting to the victory with the help of nine HSU serving errors. The Cowgirls then roared to life in the next three games to record the victory. HSU hit .300, .211 and .282 in the last three games. The Cowgirls also took advantage of 16 service aces in the win.

            Amanda Crawford led UMHB with 13 kills while Loretta Easley added 10 kills. Brandi Woodard had a team-high 14 digs and Stephanie Little had 34 assists for UMHB. Virginia Aguilar posted a team-high 14 kills for HSU and Chelsea Buetow recorded 12. Amanda Keithley had 37 assists and matched Holly Amerena with 11 digs.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO TEXAS LUTHERAN (09-27-05)

Seguin, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team had chances to take the lead, but the Crusaders could not take advantage as UMHB dropped a four-game decision to Texas Lutheran University Tuesday evening in Seguin. The loss drops the Crusaders to 8-6 overall and 2-2 in American Southwest Conference play. Texas Lutheran improves to 4-4 overall and 4-3 in the ASC with the victory.

            The Crusaders lost the first game before bouncing back to win the second before TLU responded to post a 30-20, 28-30, 30-27, 30-23 victory. UMHB hit just .023 as a team while the Bulldogs posted a .217 hitting percentage. UMHB was also hurt by giving up 14 service aces to TLU.

            Amanda Crawford led the Crusaders with 10 kills and 14 digs and Brandi Woodard added eight kills and 12 digs. Stephanie Little had 26 assists and Crawford also recorded five service aces. Angela Kopecki led TLU with 17 kills and Kristen Eldridge added 12 more. Regan Paul had 14 digs and Megan Purser added 48 assists for the Bulldogs.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL EDGED BY SUL ROSS STATE (09-23-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team had chances to put the match away but let a two game to one lead slip away as the Crusaders dropped a five-game thriller to Sul Ross State Friday night in Alpine. The loss snaps UMHB’s four-match winning streak and drops the Crusaders to 8-5 overall and 2-1 in American Southwest Conference play. Sul Ross State improves to 6-6 overall and 3-2 in the ASC with the victory.

            UMHB fell behind before bouncing back with two wins, but the Crusaders could not hold the lead in a 30-25, 24-30, 22-30, 30-22, 15-11 loss. UMHB hit .153 as a team, but the Lobos hit .238. The Crusaders added five service aces but also had nine service errors in the loss.

            Amanda Crawford led three Crusaders in double figures in kills with 13. Brandi Woodard added 11 kills and Allison Daniel posted 10 kills for UMHB. Stephanie Little had a team-high 28 assists and Little and Crawford added 10 digs apiece. Athena Rivas topped Sul Ross State with 24 kills and Raeanne Villalva had 16 more for the Lobos. Lillian Chavez had 41 assists and Villalva and Iliana Castro posted 16 digs each for Sul Ross State.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL WINS TWO AT CRUSADER INVITATIONAL (09-16-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team put together back-to-back solid efforts to sweep two matches at the Crusader Invitational Friday night in Belton. The Crusaders posted three-game victories over University of Dallas and Huston-Tillotson University and matched last season’s win total in the process. UMHB is now 8-4 on the season.

            UMHB opened the day strong with a 30-23, 30-24, 30-18 win over the University of Dallas. Amanda Crawford led the Crusaders with 11 kills and 12 digs. Stephanie Little had a team-high 19 assists and also added seven kills. UMHB also hit .203 as a team and added 10 service aces.

            The Crusaders then struggled early before bouncing back for a 31-29, 30-17, 30-28 win over Huston-Tillotson University to close out the day. Allison Daniel had a team-high 14 kills and Crawford added 11 more. Crawford also led five Crusaders in double figures with 18 digs. Little had 31 assists and UMHB posted 13 service aces in the victory.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL BEATS SCHREINER (09-13-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team shook off a game one loss and stormed back with three strong games to post a victory over Schreiner University Tuesday night in Belton. The Crusaders improve to 6-4 overall and 2-0 in American Southwest Conference West Division play with the victory. The loss drops Schreiner to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in the ASC.

            UMHB lost the first game before bouncing back to post a 23-30, 30-20, 30-25, 30-21 victory. Amanda Crawford had a match-high 19 kills to lead the Crusaders and Lacey Williams and Loretta Easley added eight kills apiece. Brandi Woodard had 20 digs and Stephanie Little added a team-high 37 assists. Rachel Mikulec led Schreiner with 13 kills and 17 digs and Malorie Westerholm posted 37 assists. UMHB had 12 service aces and Schreiner had 14 aces and the two teams also combined for 25 service errors.

            The Crusaders will return to action with the Crusader Invitational this Friday evening. UMHB will take on University of Dallas at 5:00 PM and then face Huston-Tillotson University at 7:30 PM as part of a four-team classic at the Mayborn Campus Center.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL SPLITS MATCHES AT UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS TOURNAMENT (09-10-05)

Irving, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team bounced back from an early deficit to roar to a five-game victory over University of Dallas and salvage a split on the final day of the University of Dallas Tournament Saturday in Irving. The Crusaders had opened the day with a three-game loss to Lyon College. UMHB is now 5-4 overall this season and the Crusaders need just three more wins to match last season’s victory total.

            UMHB opened the day with a 30-18, 30-22, 30-20 loss to Lyon College. The Crusaders were led by Brandi Woodard’s 10 kills and Stephanie Little’s 28 assists and eight digs. UMHB gave up eight service aces and had eight service errors.

            The Crusaders then lost the first two games before storming back to post a 29-31, 28-30, 30-26, 30-27, 15-9 victory over the University of Dallas. Amanda Crawford led four Crusaders in double figures with 17 kills and she also had a team-high nine digs. Allison Daniel had 12 kills and Woodard and Loretta Easley added 11 kills apiece. Little had 45 assists.

            UMHB will now return home to resume American Southwest Conference West Division play. The Crusaders will host Schreiner University for a 7:00 PM start Tuesday night at the Mayborn Campus Center.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL DROPS TWO AT UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS TOURNAMENT (09-09-05)

Irving, TX— The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team posted two solid efforts but could not come away with a win as the Crusaders dropped two matches on the first day of University of Dallas Tournament in Irving on Friday. The two losses drop UMHB to 4-3 on the season.

            The Crusaders opened the day with a 30-21, 30-27, 30-10 loss to Austin College. Brandi Woodard and Allison Daniel led UMHB with seven kills apiece and Stephanie Little had team-highs with 25 assists and 10 digs.

            The Crusaders closed out the day with a 30-27, 32-30, 30-28 loss to East Texas Baptist. Daniel again led the way with 16 kills and Jamie Limmer had 13 digs. Little had 39 digs for the Crusaders.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL PLAYER EARNS CONFERENCE HONORS (09-07-05)

Belton, TX –University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball player Stephanie Little has been named American Southwest Conference West Division Setter of the Week for the week ending September 6^th. Little, a sophomore setter from Waxahachie High School, helped lead the Crusaders to a 3-1 record at the Austin College Classic last weekend. She averaged 9.0 assists per game over the four matches and added 13 service aces, seven total blocks and 26 digs in a solid all-around week for UMHB.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL EDGES CONCORDIA (09-06-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team made the most of its home match in the new Mayborn Campus Center and the Crusaders also made the first night last before posting a five-game victory over Concordia University Tuesday night in Belton. The UMHB volleyball team struggled early before coming back strong in a two-hour, 15-minute marathon to win 18-30, 30-23, 30-27, 26-30, 15-9 in the American Southwest Conference West Division opener for both teams. The Crusaders improve to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the ASC West with the victory. The loss drops Concordia to 0-1 overall and 0-1 in the ASC West.

            UMHB lost the first game, won the next two and lost the fourth game before dominating the deciding game to get the victory. The Crusaders hit .120 as a team and posted 12 service aces to help overcome 19 service errors. Concordia hit .144 as a team but managed just five service aces.

            Lacey Williams led the Crusader attack with 11 kills and six UMHB players posted six or more kills in the match. Stephanie Little had a team-high 39 assists and Jamie Limmer led the squad with 23 digs. Sarah Geyer led Concordia with 15 kills and Kaedy Hermes (13) and Michelle Heckmann (10) also reached double figures in kills for the Tornados. Jessica Holland posted 33 assists and Annette Berain had 19 digs.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL SPLITS ON SECOND DAY OF AUSTIN COLLEGE CLASSIC (09-03-05)

Sherman, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team opened the final day of the Austin College Classic with a big win over a conference opponent before falling for the first time this season in the final match of the day. The Crusaders are now 3-1 to open the season, their best start ever under current head coach Alice Taylor.

            UMHB opened the day with a thrilling five-game victory over American Southwest Conference West Division rival Hardin-Simmons, 28-30, 30-24, 30-23, 20-30, 15-12. Amanda Crawford led the Crusaders with 14 kills and 14 digs and Sarah Moore added 10 kills. Stephanie Little had a team-high 41 assists. The Crusaders hit .287 as a team and added 22 service aces in the victory.

            The Crusaders then closed out the tournament with a 30-13, 30-17, 30-25 loss to Southwestern University. Loretta Easley had a team-high eight kills and Little added 27 assists. Crawford posted a team-high 11 digs in the loss.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL OPENS SEASON WITH TWO VICTORIES (09-02-05)

Sherman, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball opened the 2005 season in grand style with a pair of victories at the Austin College Classic in Sherman on Friday. The Crusaders opened the two-day tournament with a four-game victory over Hendrix College and closed out the first day of action with a three-game victory over St. Gregory’s (OK) University. UMHB is now 2-0 to open the season and will close out the tournament with two more matches tomorrow. This is the first 2-0 start for the UMHB volleyball team since 2000.

            The Crusaders dropped the first game before bouncing back to post a 23-30, 30-26, 30-25, 30-22 win over Hendrix College. Lacey Williams led a balanced UMHB attack with 10 kills and Brandi Woodard and Allison Daniel added nine kills apiece. Stephanie Little had 34 assists and Jamie Limmer posted a team-high 16 digs. The Crusaders also recorded 22 service aces and eight total blocks in the win.

            UMHB then rolled in the second match on the way to a 30-27, 30-12, 30-19 win over St. Gregory’s. Daniel topped the Crusaders with 14 kills and Williams added 13 more. Little led the team with 33 assists and Amanda Crawford had 10 digs and nine kills. UMHB posted 17 service aces in the win.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL TEAM TO OPEN 2005 SEASON THIS WEEKEND (08-31-05)

Belton, TX—The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team will open the 2005 season this weekend with a trip to Sherman to play in the Austin College Classic The Crusaders will face three NCAA Division III teams and one NAIA program over the course of the two-day tournament. UMHB opens the tourney against Hendrix College at 2:00 PM on Friday before closing out the first day with a 6:00 PM match against NAIA St. Gregory’s (OK) University. The Crusaders will then face American Southwest Conference rival Hardin-Simmons in a 9:00 AM match on Saturday before closing out the tournament with a 3:00 PM match against Southwestern University. Following the tournament, the UMHB volleyball team will return home to open the home schedule and ASC West Division play with a 7:00 PM match against Concordia-Austin on Tuesday, September 6^th. That game will also be the first home match for the UMHB volleyball team in the new Mayborn Campus Center.

            “I am very excited to be opening the season,” Crusaders head coach Alice Taylor said. “This new squad has the best-raised group of young ladies I have ever been around. I am anxious to get them out on the floor and have them play a match so that we can see what they can do.”

            The Crusaders return just one letter winner, ASC All-West Division setter Stephanie Little, this season. UMHB will rely on a deep and talented recruiting class that features four transfers and eight freshmen this season. The Crusaders went 8-23 overall and 5-15 in ASC play last season.

            UMHB was picked to finish sixth in the ASC West in the league’s annual Preseason Coaches Poll. The Crusaders totaled 21 points in balloting of West Division head coaches.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL TEAM PICKED SIXTH IN PRESEASON COACHES POLL (08-19-05)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team has been picked to finish sixth in the 2005 American Southwest Conference West Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Crusaders received 21 total points in balloting of ASC West Division coaches. Defending ASC West Division champ Texas Lutheran University was picked to repeat by the coaches as the Bulldogs picked up seven first-place votes and 62 total points. McMurry University grabbed the other first-place vote and finished with 46 total points to claim second, one point ahead of third-place Sul Ross State (45 points). Hardin-Simmons was picked to finish fourth with 43 points and Concordia University was picked fifth, just ahead of the Crusaders with 35 total points. Howard Payne was picked seventh with 19 points and Schreiner University was picked eighth with 17 points.

            Austin College received five first-place votes and 41 total points to finish as the favorite in the ASC East Division. The Preseason Players of the Year from each division will be announced on Monday.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL PLAYER NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM (11-23-04)

Belton, TX— University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball player Rachel Allen has been named to the American Southwest Conference Academic All-Conference Volleyball Team.

            Allen, a senior business marketing major from Baytown Christian Academy, posted 171 kills, 18 service aces and 62 total blocks for the Crusaders this season. She is making her third straight appearance on the ASC Academic All-Conference squad.

            To be eligible for the ASC Academic All-Conference Team, a player must be a sophomore, junior or senior and have been at their school for one full year. The player must carry at least a 3.00 GPA and earn a letter for the team that season.

UMHB VOLLEYBALL PLACES FOUR ON ALL-DIVISION TEAM (11-10-04)

Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team placed four players on the American Southwest Conference All-West Division Team released today. Ashlie Ardoin, Kimberly Blank, Kerri Karaszewski and Stephanie Little were all named Honorable Mention All-West Division. The All-West Division teams are selected in balloting of the ASC West Division volleyball coaches.

Defensive specialist Ashlie Ardoin is a sophomore from Cy-Creek High School. She led the Crusaders with 672 digs, an average of 6.17 digs per game. Ardoin also added 54 kills and 37 service aces this season.

Middle blocker Kimberly Blank is a sophomore from Jim Elliott Christian Academy in Lodi, California. She led the Crusaders with an average of 3.01 kills per game and posted 295 total kills this season. Blank also had a team-high 69 total blocks and added 12 service aces and 27 digs.

Outside hitter Kerri Karaszewski is a junior from Cedar Park High School. She led the Crusaders with 324 kills and averaged 2.89 kills per game. Karaszewski also posted 47 total blocks, 247 digs, 41 service aces and 36 assists this season.

Setter Stephanie Little is a freshman from Waxahachie High School. She led the Crusaders with 875 assists and averaged 8.03 assists per game. Little also led the team with 48 service aces and added 204 digs, 30 total blocks and 47 kills this season.

Blank is a two-time ASC All-West Division selection. This is the first All-West Division selection for the other three players. The Crusader volleyball team finished the 2004 season with an 8-23 overall record and a 5-15 mark in ASC play.