VB advances to ASC Championship Tournament

11/01/07

 Click here for the tournament bracket.

Belton, TX - The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team will advance to the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament this weekend in Richardson, as the Cru's makes back-to-back ASC Tournament appearances for the first time in the program's history. UMHB is the #3 seed from the ASC East Division in the tournament. The Cru will take a 13-18 overall record and a 7-10 mark in ASC play into this weekend's tournament.

UMHB will open the tournament with a 2:30 PM first-round match against West Division #2 seed Texas Lutheran University (19-6, 16-2 ASC) tomorrow afternoon. The winner of that match will move on to face East Division #1 seed and tournament host U.T.-Dallas (21-9, 15-2 ASC) in a 7:30 semifinal match Friday night. The other first-round match will pit East Division #2 seed East Texas Baptist University (20-10, 14-3 ASC) against West Division #3 seed McMurry University (18-9, 11-7 ASC) at 12:00 PM. The winner of that match will advance to take on West Division #1 seed Hardin-Simmons University (21-8, 16-2 ASC) in a 5:00 PM semifinal on Friday. The ASC Tournament championship match will be played at 2:00 PM on Saturday and the conference tournament champion will receive the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III National Championships. The Cru is 0-8 in matches against the other teams in the field this season and fell to Texas Lutheran 3-0 in the only regular season meeting between the two teams this year. Hardin-Simmons won the ASC Tournament last season, the Cru's last conference championship came in 1998.

The Cru is under the direction of second-year head coach Kecia Davis and the roster features just one senior and two juniors. Senior setter Stephanie Little leads the team with 508 assists and she also has 304 digs on the year. Sophomore outside hitter Alexandra Johansson-Jones has a team-high 263 kills and freshman defensive specialist Erin Maenius has a team-best 563 digs on the season.