Crusaders Drop Matches to Howard Payne and Concordia Texas
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas women's volleyball team faced a challenging pair of matches against Howard Payne University and Concordia University Texas, falling in straight sets in both contests. Despite the setbacks, the Crusaders continued to find offensive contributions from Faith Harris and Ellie Karasek while working to establish consistency on both sides of the net.
Game One: Howard Payne 3, UDallas 0
The Crusaders traveled to Brownwood, Texas, for a non-conference matchup against Howard Payne, falling in straight sets to the Yellow Jackets.
Howard Payne established control early, recording 15 kills on a .353 hitting percentage to claim the opening set 25-13.
UDallas showed improvement in the second frame, battling to stay within reach before Howard Payne secured a narrow 25-22 victory. The Crusaders struggled to find their offensive rhythm in the third set, allowing the Yellow Jackets to close out the match with a 25-8 win.
Faith Harris led the Crusaders offensively with nine kills and two service aces while contributing seven digs. Ellie Karasek followed with four kills and an ace, while Ja'Niyah Boudreaux added two kills.
Anais Ibarra directed the offense with nine assists and two service aces, while Gisele Morales contributed three assists.
Defensively, Ava Jackson paced UDallas with nine digs, followed by Harris with seven and Morales with six.
The Crusaders finished with 17 kills, 15 assists and 35 digs while hitting -.113 as a team. Howard Payne recorded 34 kills on a .253 hitting percentage and held a 4-0 advantage in total blocks.
Game Two: Concordia Texas 3, UDallas 0
UDallas returned to the Maher Athletic Center for a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) matchup against Concordia Texas, falling in three competitive sets.
The Crusaders opened the contest with one of their stronger offensive performances, recording 13 kills on a .190 hitting percentage in the first set. UDallas pushed Concordia beyond the regulation 25-point mark before narrowly dropping the opening frame 27-25.
Concordia carried that momentum into the second set, recording 13 kills on a .250 hitting percentage to secure a 25-17 victory. The Crusaders responded with 10 kills in the third frame but were unable to overcome the Tornados, who closed out the match with a 25-20 win.
Karasek led the offensive effort with a match-high 12 kills while contributing eight digs and a block. Harris followed with 10 kills and a service ace, while Boudreaux added four kills and a block.
Ibarra recorded 13 assists, nine digs and two service aces, providing contributions on both sides of the ball. Morales added six assists, while Jackson contributed four assists and a team-high 11 digs.
Riley Mendiola provided a defensive presence at the net with two blocks as the Crusaders held a 3-2 advantage in total blocks.
UDallas finished with 31 kills, 27 assists and 47 digs while hitting .147 as a team. Concordia recorded 38 kills on a .209 hitting percentage and held a 12-5 advantage in service aces.
Across the two contests, Harris led the Crusaders with 19 combined kills, while Karasek contributed 16. Ibarra totaled 22 assists and four service aces, while Jackson anchored the defensive effort with 20 combined digs.
Despite the setbacks, the Crusaders demonstrated improved offensive efficiency against Concordia, nearly doubling their kill production from the Howard Payne matchup. UDallas will look to build on those improvements as the team continues navigating the final stretch of its schedule.
