Beach Volleyball

Beach Volleyball

Lady Jackets Battle Through Tough Road Test in Texarkana

Howard Payne Competes Hard Despite Doubleheader Setback

This past Saturday, the Lady Jackets hit the road to take on Texas A&M University– Texarkana in a tough doubleheader. Going up against a strong and experienced team, Howard Payne had to battle through every point and stay locked in the whole time.

In the first match, the Lady Jackets fell 4-1, but there was still a big moment. At the No. 5 spot, Abby Henderson and Sydnie Mullens got it done for Howard Payne with a straight-set win, 21-15 and 21-17. They stayed consistent and played with confidence, earning the team's only point of the match.

Other pairs also had competitive moments throughout. At the No. 2 position, Samantha Torres and Emilee Casey pushed their match to three sets after dropping the first. They came back to take the second set 21-17, showing a lot of fight, before falling in the third. Matches like that show how close things can be and how the team keeps competing no matter what.

The second match of the day was more of a challenge, with Texarkana taking it 5-0. Even with the score, the Lady Jackets kept battling. At the No. 4 spot, Addison Roden and Bailey Schievelbein forced a third set after splitting the first two, showing a lot of resilience before coming up just short in the final set. It was one of those matches that could have gone either way.

Overall, it was a tough day, but the effort was there the whole time. The Lady Jackets kept fighting, stayed together, and continued to gain experience against solid competition.

"I'm really proud of the way our group competed from start to finish. We knew coming in this was going to be a challenge, and I thought we responded with a lot of fight and composure. Abby and Sydnie did a great job finishing their match, and we had several other pairs put themselves in position to win. That's what we're focusing on right now—putting ourselves in those moments and learning how to close. This team is continuing to grow, and matches like this are going to pay off for us down the line."

Matches like this are all part of building the program. Every game is a chance to learn and get better, and the team will look to take that into the next competition.
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Players Mentioned

Addison Roden

#5 Addison Roden

D/SB
Junior
Emilee Casey

#12 Emilee Casey

SB
Junior
Samantha Torres

#14 Samantha Torres

Freshman

Players Mentioned

Addison Roden

#5 Addison Roden

Junior
D/SB
Emilee Casey

#12 Emilee Casey

Junior
SB
Samantha Torres

#14 Samantha Torres

Freshman