STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Volleyball notched a pair of victories to extend their home winning streak to three matches in the first day of the Tarleton State Invitational at Wisdom Gym on Friday. 

The Texans performed a conventional sweep cruising to a three-set victory against Alcorn State in the morning opening match of the tournament. Later in the evening, the Purple and White completed the reverse sweep against Houston Christian, winning the final three sets after trailing 2-0. 

Tarleton has started its inaugural season in Wisdom Gym 3-0. The Texans three-match winning streak is the longest all season, with all three victories coming in the friendly confines of Wisdom Gym. 

Match 1 vs Alcorn State 

The Texans opened the day with a sweep of Alcorn State (1-6), 25-14, 25-9, 25-7. The Texans never trailed in any of the three sets, for the first time this season. 

 Eight different Texans recorded at least one kill during the first match of the day. Allison Bryant posted a team-high nine kills. Megan Hodges posted a team-high 16 assists, while Emma Halcomb led the team with eight digs. 

Three Texans posted .450-plus hitting percentages. Bryant, who led the team in kills, finished at .615. Burke (.583) and Busch (.462) followed closely behind. 

For the second consecutive match, the Texans recorded exactly 11 aces. This number tied for third all-time in Tarleton's D1 era and ties the season-high that was set last night against Oral Roberts.  

Yuna Ansquer posted a game-high four service aces which also set a new career high. The mark doubled her previous career high of two against McNeese on Sept. 17. Emma Burke and Megan Hodges also tallied two aces a piece.  

In the beginning of the first set, Tarleton went on a five-point run that included consecutive kills by Bryant, Tatum Busch, and Madison Frank to take an 11-6 lead. Tarleton kept their foot on the gas pedal, erupting on a 9-1 run shortly after. The burst was capped off by an ace from Hodges. The Texans cruised to victory in the first stanza, 25-14. 

In the second frame, Tarleton scored eight unanswered points to take control of the set early. This run included six attack errors from the Lady Braves. Burke accumulated five kills and an ace to cap off the set, with a 25-9 Texan victory.  

In the third and final set, Tarleton took a commanding 13-3 lead, fueled by three consecutive aces from Ansquer. The Texans boasted a 10-0 run, their longest of the season, distancing themselves from the Lady Braves. The Texans dominated throughout the entirety of the set, winning 25-7, to clinch the match. 

The Texans out-hit Alcorn State .355 to –.026. Tarleton also held the advantage in kills, 76-16.  

Match 2 vs Houston Christian 

The third and final match of the first day proved to be the thriller of the day as the Texans completed the reverse sweep over the Houston Christian Huskies (2-8), 20-25, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-11. 

The Texans showed a valiant effort on both sides of the ball. This was the first time all season where Tarleton has had four players with double-digit dig totals. Halcomb led the team for the second match in a row with 16 digs.  

Ansquer posted her third double-double of the season (21 assists, 14 digs). Hodges recorded her fourth double-double of the year (28 assists, 11 digs). For the third time this season, both Hodges and Ansquer recorded at least 20 assists in the same match. 

Tarleton State had three players with 10-plus kills. Bryant led the charge with 18, Frank posted 11, and Burke registered 10. Burke tied her season high with seven blocks.  

The Texans dropped the first set of the match while the Huskies went on a four-point run at the 20-19 mark to take control of the first set.  

In the second set, the Huskies went on an early run to take a 10-3 lead. The Texans were unable to climb the ladder, losing both of the opening frames. 

The Texans started the third set on fire opening on a 7-1 run. The Texans used the early lead to win their first set of the match, 25-17. Hodges set up Bryant for the final kill in the road to the reverse sweep for the Purple and White.  

In the fourth set, the two squads engaged in a back-and-forth affair. Tarleton held a 19-18 lead, then the Texans ran off a 3-0 burst which included an emphatic spike from LaNeah Lara. The Texans took the fourth set off a kill by the birthday girl, Tehana Mo'o. Tarleton tied the match with two sets a piece taking the fourth frame, 25-22. 

The Texan victory set up a winner-take-all fifth and final set. In the final race to 15, the Texans took a 9-5 lead off three consecutive kills by Frank, Lara, and Bryant. The Huskies fought back but were unable to complete the comeback, leading to the Texans reverse sweep.  

The Texans will look to continue their undefeated streak at Wisdom Gym when they play their final match of the tournament tomorrow night against Louisiana-Monroe at 6 p.m. CT. With a win, the Texans will be the Tarleton State Invitational champions as the only team to win all three matches.