MARSHALL, Texas — Hendrix began the East Texas Baptist Invitational with matches against the hosts, #8 East Texas Baptist, and Southwestern on Friday. The Warriors took the first set in each match but were unable to take advantage of the fast start in either match as they went 0-2 on the opening day.
#8 East Texas Baptist (L, 3-1)
The Warriors took the opening set 25-21 against the hosts on Friday morning before dropping the next three 23-25, 23-25 and 22-25.
The Warriors moved ahead 12-8 in the opening set as
Riley Brady put down a kill and East Tex. Baptist committed two attack errors during a four-point stretch, but East Tex. Baptist came back with four straight points, including a Katherine Server kill and two Lara Hornsby kills, to tie it at 12-12. The teams traded points through the middle of the set until East Tex. Baptist went up 19-18, and the Warriors answered with a
Mariana Leite kill and an East Tex. Baptist attack error before Server tied it again at 20-20.
Alexis Mahan put the Warriors back in front with a kill, Brady added two late kills and
Ana Bastos finished the set with a kill from
Emma Blancovich for a 25-21 Warriors win.
The Warriors built an early 4-1 lead in the second set with two Brady kills and a Mahan kill, but East Tex. Baptist came back to tie it at 4-4. After
Reghan Frazzetta's ace helped make it 7-4, Lara Hornsby served three straight aces to move East Tex. Baptist ahead 8-7, and the Warriors later went back up 12-10 on a block by
Camryn Kennedy and Brady and a Kennedy kill. East Tex. Baptist pulled even at 12-12, and the set stayed tight through a 19-19 tie before East Tex. Baptist scored four straight points to take a 23-19 lead. The Warriors cut the margin to 23-22 on a Bastos kill, a Brady ace and an
Ava Burns kill, but Hornsby had the final two East Tex. Baptist kills around Mahan kill to close a 25-23 set.
East Tex. Baptist built a 13-5 lead in the third set, with Sadie Kasowski serving two early aces and Lara Hornsby adding an ace during a later scoring stretch. The Warriors began cutting into the margin behind three kills from
Addison Rud, then kills by Kennedy and Mahan helped bring the Warriors within 16-13. East Tex. Baptist moved ahead 22-18 on a McKinzie Riley kill, but Kennedy answered, Brady and Kennedy combined on a block, Blancovich served an ace and
Faith Jones later served another to tie the set at 23-23. East Tex. Baptist scored the final two points on kills by Katherine Server and Hornsby to take the set 25-23.
The Warriors moved ahead 3-1 on kills by Brady and Bastos, but East Tex. Baptist answered with five straight points to go in front 7-4. The Warriors worked back into the set with Brady involved in consecutive points, as Mahan's kill and Brady's service ace tied it at 11-11, and the Warriors later pulled even at 13-13, 15-15, 16-16 and 17-17. East Tex. Baptist created separation with three straight points for a 20-17 lead, but the Warriors came back within 21-20 on Bastos kill and another Brady ace. East Tex. Baptist reached 24-20, and after a service error and Burns' kill kept the Warriors alive, Anita Hancock and Lara Hornsby combined on a block to close the set 25-22.
The Warriors finished the opening set from a 20-20 tie, getting kills from Mahan, Brady and Bastos while taking the set 25-21. Brady supplied three kills in the set's final stretch, including points at 23-20 and 24-21 before Bastos closed it.
The Warriors were even at 19-19 in the second set before East Tex. Baptist scored four straight points, including three Warriors attack errors, to move ahead 23-19. The Warriors answered with a Bastos kill, a Brady service ace and a Burns kill to get within 23-22, and Mahan later cut it to 24-23 before East Tex. Baptist finished the set 25-23.
The Warriors fought back from a 13-5 deficit to pull even at 23-23 in the third set. Kennedy contributed late kills and teamed with Brady on a block as the Warriors reached 20-22, and Jones' service ace tied the set at 23-23. East Tex. Baptist scored the final two points to take the set, 25-23.
The Warriors repeatedly answered East Tex. Baptist in the fourth set, tying it at 11-11 on a Brady ace and again at 15-15 on a Kennedy kill. After East Tex. Baptist moved ahead 21-18, Bastos and Brady brought the Warriors within 21-20, but the home team scored the next three points. The Warriors fought off two set points, including a Burns kill from Frazzetta, before East Tex. Baptist closed the set 25-22.
Brady led the Warriors with 14 kills, 18.5 points and three service aces while adding 14 digs and three blocks. Jones recorded a team-high 22 digs and added three assists. Blancovich finished with 26 assists, 10 digs and one service ace. Kennedy added nine kills and a team-best four blocks.
Southwestern (L, 3-1)
Hendrix once against started a match brightly, this time against the Pirates, as they took the opening set 25-23 before dropping the final three by scores of 17-25, 22-25 and 13-25.
The Warriors answered an early deficit to go in front 6-3, a push capped by
Riley Brady's service ace.
Addison Rud's kill and an
Ana Bastos service ace put the Warriors back in front 20-18, but Southwestern (TX) tied the set at 21-21 and moved ahead 23-22 on an Evamarie Planchet kill. Brady answered with a kill to tie it at 23-23, and Bastos put away the final two points, including the set-clinching kill from
Emma Blancovich, to give the Warriors the opening set 25-23.
Ava Burns' kill from Blancovich evened the second set at 3-3, but Southwestern scored the next five points to move ahead 8-3 behind a Tatum Ahrens kill and block pressure from Sophia Burke and Evamarie Planchet. The Warriors got points back through Burns and Bastos, with Burns' kill bringing the set to 14-10, but Southwestern answered with two straight points and later held a 17-11 edge on another Ahrens kill.
Alexis Mahan, Brady and Burns each added kills for the Warriors down the stretch, and Brady and Bastos combined on a block that made it 23-16. Southwestern moved to 24-16 on a service error, and after Burns extended the set with a kill, Burke and Planchet teamed on the closing block for a 25-17 Southwestern win.
Mahan opened the third set with a kill from
Chloe Staggs, but Southwestern (TX) scored the next six points, using three kills and a block-assisted Warriors attack error to move ahead 6-1. The Warriors cut the gap to 10-8 as Brady, Bastos and
Amelia Don put down kills, including Don's kill from
Reghan Frazzetta, and Burns and
Mariana Leite combined on a block, and later pulled within 12-11 on Blancovich's ace and Mahan's kill. Southwestern (TX) moved ahead 17-11 with five straight points, but the Warriors got kills from Don and Bastos and Burns-Mahan block to make it 18-16, then later kills from Bastos and Leite to get within 22-21. Leite's final kill of the set brought the Warriors within 23-22, but Tatum Ahrens followed with a kill for a 24-22 Southwestern (TX) lead, and the visitors closed the set 25-22 on a Warriors attack error.
Southwestern (TX) opened the fourth set with four straight points, including two Evamarie Planchet kills, before the Warriors answered with a block by Rud and Brady, a
Mary Addisyn Stubbs ace and a block by Bastos and Brady to get within 4-3. Southwestern (TX) pushed the advantage to 7-3 on a Sophia Burke kill and a Carly Caraway ace, and after the Warriors got back to 11-8, Kendall Jurgens recorded four straight kills to make it 15-8. Kills by Leite, Brady, Rud and Bastos kept the Warriors scoring through the middle of the set, but Southwestern (TX) reached 21-13 and then took the final four points on a Warriors service error, Bastos attack error and kills by Burke and Tatum Ahrens to close the set 25-13.
Bastos led the Warriors with 11 kills and 13.5 points, adding eight digs and three block assists. Brady finished with nine kills, 13 digs, three block assists and one service ace. Blancovich recorded a team-high 20 assists and added 12 digs. Burns led the Warriors with four block assists and contributed six kills.
The losses drop Hendrix to 4-3 on the year. They will close out their stay in Marshall tomorrow with matches against Christopher Newport and McMurry.
