BELTON, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' dropped a tightly contested American Southwest Conference matchup on the road Thursday night, falling to Mary Hardin-Baylor in five sets with scores of 25-14, 13-25, 17-25, 25-19, and 15-7 inside the Mayborn Campus Center.
 
After a difficult opening set, Hardin-Simmons responded with efficiency on both sides of the ball, hitting .265 and .256 in sets two and three to take a 2-1 match lead. Offensively, the Cowgirls collected 48 total kills and nine service aces in the match.
 
Junior outside hitter Leigh Jespersen powered the attack with a match-high 17 kills while adding ten digs defensively for a double-double at UMHB.
 
Abbi Allen contributed ten kills and posted a team-best eight block assists, helping Hardin-Simmons record 11 total team blocks.
 
Setter Keatyn Rodgers paced the distribution with 17 assists, followed by Allison O'Shaughnessy with 14. Defensively, Kat Martinez led the Cowgirls with 12 digs and Allison O'Shaughnessy finished with ten digs for a double-double with assists.
 
Momentum shifted in the fourth set as Mary Hardin-Baylor found answers at the net, tallying 15 kills and three aces. Hardin-Simmons threatened late but could not close the gap, forcing a decisive fifth set.
 
The Crusaders took control early in the final frame, hitting .467 while limiting the Cowgirls to just two kills to secure the comeback win.
 
Despite the setback, the Cowgirls' defensive efforts remained impressive, finishing with 61 digs and continuing to rank among the top-25 blocking units in the nation and lead the ASC with 2.15 blocks a set as a team on the season.
 
The loss moves the Cowgirls to 13-7 on the season and 3-2 in ASC play, while the Crusaders improve to 15-5 overall and 1-4 in conference action. HSU will travel to play at No. 2 East Texas Baptist in Marshall on Friday at 6 p.m.  
 
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