LONGVIEW –  LeTourneau University's volleyball team started its season off with a bang, gathering two wins in a doubleheader against Jarvis Christian College. After sweeping Jarvis Christian in the first match, 25-14, 25-5, 25-7, the YellowJackets rolled through the second match, 25-10, 25-12, 25-15.
 
In the first match of the 2021 season, the YellowJackets (2-0) managed to hit at a .320 attack percentage throughout the course of their 3-0 win over the Bulldogs. Although LeTourneau never trailed in the match, Jarvis Christian came out ready to play in the first set, pulling as close as 13-11. However, after a dynamic kill by Madison Denega on an assist from Natalie Davenport, the YellowJackets began to roll, cruising to a 25-14 victory in that first set.
 
The Jackets turned it on in the second set, racing out to huge leads the Bulldogs could not recover from. Behind the serving of Samantha Winkel, LETU jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the set. Courtney Edge served seven straight points, including a pair of aces, as the Jackets stretched their lead to 17-3 to put the set away. Davenport followed with a great serving performance of her own in the third set, allowing the YellowJackets to jump out to a 18-5 lead. Davenport reeled off 11 straight service points, highlighted by six kills by Kianna Crow.
 
Edge had eight of LeTourneau's 16 aces in the first match. She also had 10 digs. Crow finished with 12 kills. Denega had five kills, while hitting .500, and had 15 digs. Davenport had 17 assists.
 
In the second match, LeTourneau hit a .313. The Jackets pounded 41 kills, including 12 by Denega and 10 by Crow.  
 
The Jackets jumped out to a 13-3 lead after Camryn Hill slammed down a ball from Winkel. Denega's kill extended the lead to 18-5. A putaway by Allison Smith gave the YellowJackets a 22-8 lead. Kills by Natalie Connelly and Crow wrapped up the first set.
 
In the second set, Avery Mabery put LETU ahead, 14-6, when she banged down a kill. Morgan Nix added a kill and a service point to bump the Jackets' lead to 19-9. With Crow serving, Denega put down two consecutive kills, the first on a setup from Addison Mints, and Kylie Cobb banged down two in a row to close out the set.
 
LeTourneau took a 14-10 lead in the third set when Hill pounded a kill from Winkel. Davenport served the next three points to put the Jackets on top, 17-10. Connelly and Mabery combined for a block to extend the YellowJackets' lead to seven. Edge fired off an ace to make it 22-13. Connelly's kill wrapped up the match.
 
Connelly had six kills and a .500 attack rate. Davenport had 16 assists, and Winkel 13. Crow had 15 digs, and Edge had 14 digs and three aces.
 
The YellowJackets will be back in action at home again Feb. 5 against Hardin-Simmons at 7 p.m.