LONGVIEW, Texas – LETU volleyball defeated Belhaven 3-1 (25-16, 25-21, 25-27, 25-11) in an American Southwest Conference matchup at Solheim Arena Monday.

The Yellowjackets improved to 14-9 overall, including 9-7 against league opponents. Belhaven dropped to 2-21, 1-15.

With the win, LETU secured a berth in the 2021 American Southwest Conference Volleyball Championship, the fourth in succession and program history.

A 12-0 spurt in the opening set propelled the 'Jackets to the 1-0 advantage. After the teams trudged along at 10-9, Belhaven committed three attack errors and a ball-handling miscue, paving a clear path to victory for the home side.

Both offenses sputtered in game two, but the result was the same as LETU seized a 2-0 edge in the match. Knotted at 10-10, the Blazers committed two attacking errors and another ball-handling miscue, fueling a 12-4 spurt by the Yellowjackets. This time, the hosts returned the favor, coughing up seven of the next eight points, with six coming on miscues by LETU. Natalie Connelly stopped the bleeding with a kill, before another Blazer error secured the set for the home team.

A 12-6 surge in game three positioned the Yellowjackets for the sweep with three set points at 24-21. Belhaven rallied and forced a tiebreaker at 24-24, with a kill and two blunders. After another miscalculation, Maddy Denega deadlocked the score again with a side out. Belhaven extended the contest by scoring the next two markers.

Instead of getting down, LETU produced its best offensive game of the tilt, hitting .281 (11-2-32), while holding the guest to a .083 (9-6-36) attack percentage. The Yellowjackets built a 10-4 margin en route to the 14-point victory.  

Inside the Box:
- Kianna Crow registered a double-double with led the team with 16 kills, 13 digs.
- Connelly stuffed the box score with 10 kills, seven block assists, two solo rejections, two digs and an ace.
- Samantha Winkel led the way with 21 assists, adding seven digs and a pair of service aces.
- Natalie Davenport handed out 17 helpers, with seven digs.
- Courtney Edge paced a trio in double-digits with 28 digs.
- Denega dug 15 attacks and dropped in three serves for an ace.
- Belhaven committed 11 errors at the service line, while LETU had three.
- The Yellowjackets rejected 12 attacks with 20 block assists and two solos.
 
Up Next:
LETU hosts Sul Ross State in a pivotal American Southwest Conference match at 6 p.m. Friday.
 
Conference Standings
 

School	Wins	Loss	Games Remaining	Notes
Mary Hardin-Baylor	16	1	@Concordia 10/29	Regular Season Champ
UT Dallas	11	4	ETBU 10/26 Howard Payne 10/29 Sul Ross State 10/30	Swept LETU
Sul Ross State	10	6	@LETU 10/29 @UT Dallas 10/30	Defeated LETU 3-1 in Alpine, Texas
East Texas Baptist	9	6	@UT Dallas 10/26 Hardin-Simmons 10/29 McMurry 10/30	LETU swept season series Possible finish 2-6
Concordia Texas	9	7	@Howard Payne 10/26 UMHB 10/29	Split season series w/LETU 2-3, 3-1
LETU	9	7	Sul Ross State 10/29 Howard Payne 10/30	Can finish between third and sixth
McMurry	6	10	@Belhaven 10/28 @ETBU 10/30	Eliminated from ASC Championship
Hardin-Simmons	6	10	@ETBU 10/29 @Belhaven 10/30	Eliminated from ASC Championship
Howard Payne	2	13	@UT Dallas 10/29 @LETU 10/30	Eliminated from ASC Championship
Belhaven	1	15	McMurry 10/28 Hardin-Simmons 10/30	Eliminated from ASC Championship

 
 
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