Volleyball splits with LeTourneau, Mississippi College

Patriots volleyball team started off its season breaking even after 10 games and faces a challenging week of conference play, including two home games.

A pre-season poll picked the team to finish third in the American Southwest Conference. The Patriots opened play at the beginning of the month as host to the UT Tyler/Trinity Mother Frances Classic.

The team went 2-2 in the tournament, defeating St. Gregory’s University (3-1) and Mid-American Christian (3-1) and losing against Southern Nazarene (3-0) and Southwestern Assemblies (3-1). Coach Kristee Phelps said all the tournament participants already had played three to four matches except the Patriots. “So we are pleased with the results,” she said.

Two freshmen made their presence known during the tournament. Stephanie Pupenbroke from Carrollton tallied 16 kills in 32 attempts with only one error and Hillary Taylor from Lewisville set a team record of 22 digs in one match.

Patriots Christy Meredith dives for the ball during the second match agaisnt Southern Nazerene on Sept. 4. The Patriots won 3-1. Photo by Kyle Horst.

“The mistakes we made are fixable and we look forward to a great conference run,” Phelps said.
The Patriots have been on the road for six games since the middle of September.

The games included wins against Jarvis Christian (3-0), Berry (3-2), and LeTourneau (3-0) and losses to Austin College (3-0), Ouachita Baptist (3-0) and Mississippi College (3-2). The University begins a week of three conference games with a 1-1 conference record and 5-5 overall.

Amanda Hanson leads the Patriots so far this season with 67 kills. She is followed by Danika Waldrep, who has 64. Whitney Clements leads the team in assists with 141. Next on the team is Cristy Meredith who has 60 assists. Hillary Taylor lead the Patriots in digs with 120.

The Patriots play 1-1 East Texas Baptist University in Marshall on  Tuesday and undefeated conference leader UT Dallas on Friday at home. The team will then play a double-header on Saturday at Herrington Patriot Center.