BROWNWOOD, Texas – After falling behind by two sets, the Howard Payne University volleyball team stormed back Thursday night to defeat Schreiner 3-2 in a thrilling American Southwest Conference match inside Brownwood Coliseum.
The Yellow Jackets dropped the opening two sets 19-25 and 15-25 before responding with a determined comeback, taking the next three sets 25-21, 25-17 and 17-15 to complete the reverse sweep.
With strong energy from the home crowd throughout the night, Howard Payne steadily shifted the momentum after the start of set three. The Yellow Jackets battled through lengthy rallies and several momentum swings, refusing to let Schreiner pull away as the match intensified.
The decisive fifth set provided all the drama expected from a match that featured 27 ties and 15 lead changes. Schreiner jumped out to an early advantage, but Howard Payne answered with a rally of its own. The Yellow Jackets eventually erased the deficit and traded points with the Mountaineers down the stretch before securing the final two points to seal the victory.
"We've been working really hard to change the mindset of the past and to believe in the new future of Howard Payne volleyball," head coach Amy Farber Teal shared. "They did what I knew they could do, but it took them believing that they could make it happen. And hopefully we got the monkey off our back and tonight's mentality will continue moving forward."
Tara Bennett led Howard Payne with 12 kills, three service aces and a 28 digs, tied for the second-most by a player in the ASC this season. Sam Torres added 12 kills, while Londynn Whitworth finished with seven kills, and three aces, including the match-winning ace in the fifth set.
Emma Rosier directed the offense with 26 assists and added 14 digs, while Ashlyn Kelly contributed nine assists. Defensively, the Yellow Jackets were relentless, piling up 97 digs and frustrating the Lady 'Neer attack throughout the night.
Schreiner was led by Jesse Garner with 11 kills and five blocks, while Emma Frye added eight kills.
UP NEXT: The ASC schedule snakes back around starting next Thursday, October 15. The Lady Jackets will travel to Kerrville to face Schreiner for a second time with first serve set for 6:00 p.m. Central Time.
