LONGVIEW, Texas -- Yari Ortiz and Faith Keating combined for 32 kills and the LeTourneau volleyball team dominated the fifth set to earn a 3-2 win (25-23, 18-25, 25-22, 17-25, 15-4) over Hardin-Simmons in ASC action on Saturday afternoon.

The win is the second straight for LeTourneau (4-8, 4-2 ASC) and marked the eighth win in the last nine meetings against Hardin-Simmons (8-6, 3-2 ASC).

Ortiz tied a career-high with 18 kills, while Keating had a season-high 14 kills in the win. Ortiz totaled seven of her kills in the fifth set and Keating added 11 digs to complete a double-double. Morgan Nix registered 28 digs and Reina Lawson totaled 36 assists with 14 digs.

After splitting the first four sets, LeTourneau opened the fifth with seven straight points as Ortiz notched two kills in the run. The lead grew to 13-1 as Ortiz had four more kills in a six-point run for the YellowJackets that all but sealed the win. Another kill from Ortiz before a Keating kill finished off the YellowJackets' second five-set win of the season.

LeTourneau hit .450 in the deciding frame. The YellowJackets tallied 53 kills and eight blocks in the win.

The YellowJackets opened the match with a 25-23 win in the first set. LeTourneau tallied 18 kills in the game and hit .324 and held off a late-charge from Hardin-Simmons to earn the win. 

Hardin-Simmons opened up big leads in the second and fourth sets to take victories in both. The third set went back-and-forth with six ties and two lead changes, but LeTourneau got the final two points, capped by an Ortiz kill, to earn the set win.

Kaci Monk added seven kills with five aces and four blocks, while Nora Lockhart posted a season-high-tying seven kills to go with five blocks. Allison Smith had three total blocks with four kills and Ella Free tallied nine assists in the win.

Hardin-Simmons received 17 kills, five blocks, eight digs, and four aces from Gabby Jones. Liz Underwood had 14 kills as Luaren Sullivan and Jadyn Hernandez had 11 kills each. Kat Martinez recorded 23 digs.

UP NEXT

LeTourneau travels to face UT Dallas on Tuesday (6 p.m.).

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