ABILENE, Texas — It wasn't easy, but Tarleton State Volleyball rallied Thursday to win its first postseason match in its NCAA Division I era.
 
The Texans once again played in a five-set match, this time in their WAC Tournament opener against California Baptist, and they won the thriller to advance to the WAC Tournament Semifinals. This was Tarleton State's 10th five-set affair on the year. The Texans have won eight of those, including the past seven dating back to early September.
 
The 3-seed Texans (16-9) defeated the 6-seed Lancers (7-18) in five sets 25-23, 22-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-12 in Abilene at Moody Coliseum Thursday in the WAC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Texans improved to 3-0 against CBU this season.
 
Tarleton State advances to the WAC Tournament Semifinals, where the Texans will square off against 2-seed Utah Tech on Friday at 4 p.m. in Abilene.
 
On Thursday, the Texans kept their composure despite trailing 2-1 in sets and down in the fourth set. Iin the first set, Tarleton State fought off multiple CBU rallies to win by two. WAC Freshman of the Year Alyssa Dinh finished off the set for the Texans to give the Purple and White the early advantage.
 
The Lancers responded with the first five points in Set 2, and they never relinquished the lead. CBU led by as many as eight points in the set, but Tarleton State fought at the end to give the Lancers a scare, before CBU closed it out 25-22.
 
CBU again started fast in the third set, and again kept the Texans at arm's length most of the way. California Baptist led by as many as nine again and won Set 3 25-20.
 
In Set 4, CBU started fast for a third straight set, but this time Tarleton State had enough. After trailing 9-5, the Texans rolled off five straight points, to take their first lead since the first set. Tarleton State commanded the frame the rest of the way, putting any worries at ease.
 
In the fifth and deciding set, Tarleton State jumped out to a 7-3 lead. CBU closed the gap to make it 9-8 Tarleton State, but the Texans emerged victorious 15-12.
 
Tehana Mo'o led the way for Tarleton State with a team-high 13 kills and team-high 14.5 points. Mo'o added 12 digs, second-most on the team. Emma Burke had a team-high eight blocks, to go with seven kills, with Madison Frank adding three blocks and 12 kills. Morgan Carter had a team-high 16 digs, Megan Hodges had a team-high 28 assists, and Teya Nguyen turned in 19 assists.
 
Now the Texans turn their attention to the Trailblazers, who they just faced in St. George, Utah, this past Thursday. Utah Tech (20-5) is 2-0 against Tarleton State this season. The Trailblazers have won five straight matches overall, including their 3-1 win WAC Tournament Quarterfinals victory over 7-seed Southern Utah.
 
Friday's match will be broadcast on ESPN+, and live stats are available. Event passes for the WAC Tournament are still available, found here.