STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State fell on the wrong side of a five-set thriller on Thursday evening at Wisdom Gym against Southern Utah.
The Texans fought valiantly to erase an early two-set deficit but were unable to notch the win on their home court. The Purple and White dropped to the Thunderbirds (10-15, 6-7) in five sets, 23-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-11.
Madison Frank tied her career high with a team-best 14 kills on an impressive .538 attack percentage. Frank also notched six blocks. Emma Burke posted a team high eight blocks. Burke also registered a .321 attack percentage with 11 kills.
Megan Hodges tallied a stellar total of 46 assists, which ranks second for a single match in Tarleton's D1 era. Hodges holds the three most assists in a Texan D1 match, holding the record with a pair of 48-assist efforts. Hodges also posted her 13th double-double of the season recording 46 assists and 14 digs. She also shattered her career high in blocks, amassing five against the Thunderbirds. Thursday notched Hodges' third outing of 40 or more assists this season.
Emma Halcomb led the Purple and White with 25 digs. This marked Halcomb's eighth match of 20-plus digs this year. The senior libero is coming off a career week, notching a conference-leading 35 digs against ACU and receiving WAC Libero of the Week during that stretch.
Tarleton had four players with double-digit kills on Thursday evening. Frank led with 14, followed by Allison Bryant with 13, Burke tallied 11, and Tatum Busch notched 10. Bryant's currently sits at 377 kills on the year, just four behind Lauren Kersey's D1 era single-season record 381 in the 2021 season.
In the opening stanza, the Texans jumped to an early 8-6 lead, capped off by an ace from Tehana Mo'o. Tarleton maintained control of the set until the Thunderbirds rallied to tie the game at 17-17. The Texans found themselves trailing, 20-21, after an ace from Carly Lange to keep them in contention of the first period. However, the Thunderbirds would keep control, taking the set victory, 25-23.
Early in the second set, a Frank kill cut the Tarleton deficit to one, 5-6. Southern Utah burst on a 4-0 run to give the Thunderbirds a 10-5 advantage. The Purple and White rallied to erase the deficit, tying the stanza at 17, thanks to three consecutive kills from Frank. Both teams fought until 22-22, when the Thunderbirds orchestrated a 3-1 run to take the set victory.
In the third frame with their backs to the wall, the Texans rallied back from 6-10, tying the period at 14 off a sequence of blocks from Frank, Bryant, and Hodges. Hodges either assisted or killed the next four points for the Texans, putting them ahead, 20-18. Tarleton kept their foot on the gas pedal to notch a 25-19 set victory, capped off by a kill from Busch.
Two consecutive kills from Busch put the Purple and White ahead early in the fourth frame, 10-7. Service aces from Lange and Halcomb kept the momentum in Tarleton's favor, getting the crowd involved midway through the fourth game. The Thunderbirds tried to rally but were unable to turn the tables in time, dropping the fourth set, 18-25. An ace from Hodges sent the Texans to a winner-takes-all fifth set.
After a pair of reviewed calls, Southern Utah took a 7-2 advantage in the fifth period. The Texans came within two points off an attack error and a Mo'o ace. Tarleton continued to keep it close but was unable to shift the tide, dropping the fifth set, 11-15.
Tarleton State Volleyball will return to the court on Monday against UT Arlington. Monday is Senior Night at Wisdom Gym, where the team will be honoring their three seniors who have given so much to the program. Allison Bryant, Mary Kate Stasevich and Emma Halcomb will be honored with a special pre-match ceremony. The match will be live streamed on ESPN+ with first serve set for 6 p.m. CT.
