VOLLEYBALL: Rams fall to Schreiner in a non-conference match

AUSTIN – Huston-Tillotson University's volleyball team gave one of its best performances of the season Wednesday but came up just short as the visiting Schreiner Mountaineers claimed a non-conference victory.
 
The three-set match was decided by a total of eight points as Schreiner won by scores of 25-22, 28-26, and 25-22.
 
HT's Chloe Gaytan knocked down a match-high 17 kills and tallied eight digs for the Rams, who return to Red River Athletic Conference play Friday when they host Xavier (La.). Kennedy White put away eight kills for HT, while Olivia De La Cruz chipped in five kills.
 
Angelina Munoz handed out 26 assists and recorded 14 digs, which led the Rams in both categories. Danelle McCullough dug out 11 Schreiner attacks. Aniyah Asberry chipped in seven digs, while Kaylee Duque added six digs for Huston-Tiillotson.
 
Asberry and McCullough served four aces apiece in the match, which were also season-highs for both players.
 
Schreiner, an NCAA Division III member institution, was led by Giana Hilliard's nine kills and .471 hitting percentage.
 
In a match that featured 25 ties and 11 lead changes, fans from both sides were treated to a close and exciting contest. The first two sets were back-and-forth showings that featured five lead changes each.
 
The Mountaineers scored seven of the match's first 10 points. On the next point, officials changed their ruling on a play-ending attack Hilliard, turning what would have been a 10th kill into her only attack error that cut Schreiner's lead to 7-4. HT responded by scoring the next four points, three of which came on Asberry aces.
 
Another 4-0 run by HT gave the Rams a 13-9 lead, only for the Mountaineers to later erase HT's 15-11 advantage with a 5-1 run of their own. After five consecutive tie scores, Schreiner broke a 20-20 draw with four unanswered points, which proved to be too much for the Rams to overcome.
 
Neither team led by more than two points early in set two until a 6-1 run by the Rams turned a 9-8 deficit into a 14-10 lead. McCullough served two aces and Gaytan put away two kills during that stretch.
 
HT led by as many as five points at 17-12 in set two before Schreiner began chipping away at the Rams' advantage. Two 4-1 runs late in the set eventually pulled the Mountaineers into a 22-22 tie with their hosts.
 
At the end of the set Schreiner fended off three consecutive HT set points before finally rolling off three consecutive points to win the set 28-26.
 
In set three, the Rams scored the first three points before momentum shifted to Schreiner. An 8-1 Schreiner run midway through the set gave the Mountaineers a 16-9 lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the match.
 
The Rams host Xavier (La.) Friday, Oct. 11 at Branch Gymnasium. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
– HT –