BELTON, Texas -- Facing one of the top teams in the ASC, the LeTourneau volleyball team fell to host Mary Hardin-Baylor in three sets (25-15, 25-20, 25-16) in conference action on Friday night in Belton.

LeTourneau dropped to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in ASC play. Mary Hardin-Baylor, the preseason favorite in the conference, improved to 9-2 and 2-1 in league play.

Kaci Monk had 10 kills and Allison Smith added nine kills with a .364 hitting percentage in the loss for the visiting YellowJackets. Reina Lawson notched a double-double with 14 assists and 10 digs and Natalie Davenport had 10 assists. Morgan Nix had a team-high 21 digs with a pair of aces, while Hannah Payan contributed seven kills and seven digs.

After a tough first set that saw UMHB race out to a 10-1 lead, the YellowJackets settled down and hung with the host Cru. In the second set, LeTourneau got within 16-14 after kills from Kaylyn Taylor and Avery Mabery Morgan. However, the Cru scored six of the next seven points to pull away for the set win and a 2-0 match lead.

Despite the set two loss, LeTourneau found success in the attack with a match-high .226 hitting percentage in the frame.

LeTourneau grabbed a 4-2 lead early in the third. A four-point run erased a 2-0 deficit as Smith recorded a pair of kills during the stretch. UMHB scored five straight to take a 10-6 lead, but LeTourneau rallied back later in the set to get within 15-13 after a Monk kill. UMHB had the final answer, though, with six straight points to regain a seven-point advantage to complete the sweep.

Kaylie Vasil had a match-high 11 kills with 14 digs to lead UMHB. Ella Brunson added 26 assists and Alyssa Christiansen had 18 digs to lead the Cru.

UP NEXT

LeTourneau is back on the road on Saturday at Concordia. First serve is set for 1 p.m.