BROWNWOOD, Texas – After sweeping Belhaven in three sets last Saturday to close out ASC Crossover play, the Lady Jackets returned home to host the War Hawks of McMurry University on Tuesday.  

Howard Payne was hoping to capitalize on that momentum but lost the first two sets before mounting a comeback in sets three and four. The game was hard fought and largely back and fourth the entire time until McMurry finished the fifth and final set with three straight kills to take the match 3-2 (27-29, 21-25, 25-18, 32-30, 17-15.) 

The Lady Jackets actually led the War Hawks in points on the night, 77-73 and each set was fiercely contested by both teams. After falling in the first set 29-27, Howard Payne dropped their second set by their highest margin, 25-21.  

Sensing the urgency and wanting to continue their recent success, the Jackets came out and took the third set 25-18. That energy carried over into the next set and Howard Payne rallied from a five point deficit to force the game into a fifth and final set. Finishing the set with a game high team attack percentage of .250. 

In the final set of the night, the Lady Jackets led by as much as 10-7, but the War Hawks kept fighting back. The two teams exchanged points until McMurry received a couple of attack errors and a service ace to tie it back up at 10 apiece. They kept the pressure on the rest of the set and ran away with their tenth victory of the season. 

Zhartezia Bradley finished with a game high 17 kills, while Shelbie Harry and Alyssa Beasley each added 14 on the night. Cheyanne Lovelady had a game high 54 assists and also had one service ace and 12 digs to close out the game. 

Next up for Howard Payne is another home match vs. Hardin-Simmons this Thursday at 7:00 pm. It is the second of four consecutive home appearances for the Lady Jackets. All matches are free to attend and can also be streamed for free at HPUSports.com. For in game updates and content follow along on Twitter @HPUVBall and also on Instagram @HPUSports.