MARSHALL, Texas -- LeTourneau volleyball defeated Howard Payne, 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 25-18, 25-21), to advance to the ASC Tournament semifinals on Friday morning.

Kaci Monk notched 17 kills, a match-high total. Dylan Presley added a season-high 13 kills, while Reina Lawson collected 27 assists and Allison Smith befuddled the reception team with three aces.

Defensively, Morgan Nix had 26 digs and Nora Lockhart blocked five attacks. 

The YellowJackets used a 9-0 match-opening run to cruise to a set one victory, with Lawson and Monk tallying kills in that period. Emma Smith ended the set with a kill that deflected off the reeling defense of Howard Payne.

The second set was not so kind to LeTourneau, as Howard Payne's squad mounted an impressive response, gaining momentum and knotting it up at a set apiece with a 25-20 win.

With Howard Payne firing on all cylinders and momentum seemingly on their side, the YellowJackets of LeTourneau needed to mount a resurgence.

Boy, did they ever.

After going down 14-10 in the third set, LeTourneau retorted with an astounding 14-2 run, thanks to Presley's three kills and Maddy Hirneise's two service aces. Hirneise's service stretch was the key in that run, as she served on eight consecutive YellowJacket points, putting the ball in difficult spots for Howard Payne. Monk ended the set with a thunderous kill to give the YellowJackets the edge in sets, 2-1.

Howard Payne was not nearly dead, however. After LeTourneau continued their momentous stretch into the fourth set, leading by as many as nine (19-10), Howard Payne countered with a 10-2 run, closing the gap to just a one-point difference. With no timeouts at her disposal, head coach Alison Williams could only watch and see how her players would respond.

They came through.

After Monk swatted a ball to the floor for a kill to end the Howard Payne rally, she then added a crucial service ace, giving LeTourneau a three-point lead. That would be all that the YellowJackets needed, as a kill from Kaylyn Taylor and a Howard Payne attack error gave the match to LeTourneau, 25-21. 

For Howard Payne's Yellow Jackets, Tara Bennett had 16 kills, Jolee Van Dyke assisted on 20 successful attacks, amd Kassidy Johnson had 24 digs. Their season ends with a final record of 13-13 (1-8 ASC).

UP NEXT

LeTourneau moves on to the semifinals, where the no. 1 seed and no. 9 team in the nation, East Texas Baptist awaits. That match will be later today at 6:30 p.m.

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