IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas volleyball team battled through a pair of five-set matches Friday at the Maher Athletic Center, falling to Howard Payne University and Arlington Baptist University in two closely contested contests.
The Crusaders opened the day against Howard Payne, dropping a 3-2 decision by scores of 23-25, 17-25, 25-16, 25-22 and 12-15.
UDallas battled back after dropping the opening two sets, taking the third and fourth frames to force a decisive fifth set. The Crusaders finished the match with a .220 team hitting percentage compared to .231 for Howard Payne, while holding advantages in kills (57-54), aces (13-7), blocks (8-6), assists (48-40) and digs (55-54).
Faith Harris led the UDallas attack with a match-high 16 kills, while Jordan Jackson added 11 and Skylar Applewhite finished with nine. Ja'Niyah Boudreaux paced the Crusaders from the service line with four aces, while Jackson added three and Ellie Karasek recorded two.
Boudreaux also anchored the Crusader defense at the net with four blocks. Applewhite contributed two blocks, while Harris added one.
Gisele Morales orchestrated the offense with a team-high 22 assists, while Anais Ibarra added 15 and Ava Jackson contributed five. Jordan Jackson led UDallas defensively with 13 digs, followed by Ava Jackson with 10 and Ibarra with eight.
UDallas returned to the court Friday evening for another five-set battle, this time against Arlington Baptist. The Crusaders ultimately fell 3-2, with the Eagles winning 25-15, 16-25, 13-25, 25-23 and 15-9.
After dropping the opening set, UDallas responded emphatically by taking the second and third sets to build a 2-1 advantage. Arlington Baptist answered by winning the fourth set before securing the decisive fifth frame.
The Crusaders finished with a .140 hitting percentage compared to .104 for Arlington Baptist and held advantages in kills (50-43), assists (38-31) and digs (79-70). UDallas and Arlington Baptist each finished with five blocks, while the Eagles held an advantage in service aces, 16-3.
Jordan Jackson led all Crusaders with 17 kills, while Harris added 13 and Karasek finished with nine. Ava Jackson, Karasek and Morales each recorded one service ace.
At the net, Applewhite led UDallas with three blocks, while Emily Madigan added two and Boudreaux recorded one.
Ibarra and Morales helped direct the Crusader offense with 15 and 12 assists, respectively, while Ava Jackson added five. Ava Jackson also led UDallas defensively with 16 digs, followed by Karasek and Jordan Jackson with 15 apiece.
With the two results, UDallas moves to 3-3 overall on the 2026 season.
UP NEXT
UDallas returns to action tomorrow against Lonestar College and Paul Quinn, Saturday, Sept. 12. Check UDallasAthletics.com for the latest schedule information, match coverage and updates on Crusader volleyball.
