six-point lead diminishes, HSU takes lead in set four

McMurry led 12-6 before HSU stormed back to score nine-straight points and leads 15-12 in the fourth set with McMurry facing elimination.

Headed to set four

Hardin-Simmons still holds a 2-1 advantage, but McMurry kept it season alive with a 25-21 win in set three. M.J. Vickers and Bennie Smith are leading McMurry's charge thus far with nine and seven kills respectively.

--KR

Heads up Seven Up, McMurry trying to force set four

McMurry leads 22-15 in set three needing just three points to force a fourth set in the ASC Semi-Finals ...

--KR

McMurry looking good in set three

Down two sets to none and the season's end within view, McMurry is scrapping to keep their championship hopes alive with an 11-5 start in set three. If McMurry can pull off the set victory, it will still need to win both set four and a 15-point set five to advance to the championship round.

--KR

HSU responds, leads 2-0

After cutting the lead to two points at 15-13, McMurry couldn't hold back HSU any longer. The Cowgirls closed the set with a 10-4 run to take set two and HSU leads two sets to none. McMurry's season will only stay alive if it can win set three.

--KR

Fighting back

After trailing 12-5, McMurry has rallied to score eight out of the last 11 points in the match. HSU has called a timeout after their lead has been cut to 15-13 in the second set. Terah Brown, McMurry's all-American, has answered Parnell's call with a couple of solo blocks and a kill during the run.

--KR

HSU showing how the west was won in set two ...

Hardin-Simmons posted a 21-6 record in the regular season and won the ASC West Division title with a 16-2 league record. So far in set two, they're proving their stripes with a 12-5 lead after a dominating win in set two. McMurry will have to regroup and make adjustments to avoid a sweep here in this semi-finals round.

--KR

HSU streaks to set one win

After breaking a 13-13 tie, HSU scored 12 of the last 15 points to win the first set 25-16. McMurry hit just .061 for the first set while HSU hit .387. M.J. Vickers leads McMurry with three kills, but on the other side of the net, HSU's all-American Kaela Parnell already has seven kills.

--KR

HSU bulids largest lead of match in first set

McMurry called a timeout after the Cowgirls have gone on a 4-1 run to take a 17-14 lead in the first set of this ASC Volleyball Tournament semi-finals match.

--KR

Just like a rivalry should be ...

Neither team has led by more than two points as the teams are knotted at 11 in the first set. Two freshmen are helping McMurry's so far with M.J. Vickers and Bennie Smith each recording multiple kills.

--KR

HSU stands in the way of McMurry's chances at ASC Volleyball title

With the clock ticking down under a minute for warmups, McMurry will take on a familiar face for the semi-final round of the ASC Volleyball Tournament. After a 3-1 victory earlier this afternoon over East Texas Baptist, McMurry will try and defeat HSU for the first time in 2009. HSU defeated McMurry 3-0 Sept. 23 on HSU's campus in Abilene, and then the Cowgirls defeated McMurry on its home floor Oct. 14 3-1.

Much like 2007, McMurry defeated ETBU in the quarterfinals and faced HSU in the semis at the UTD Activity Center where the Cowgirls swept McMurry in three sets.

The starting lineups have been announced and McMurry will try to reverse its fate ...

McMurry volleyball highlights vs. East Texas Baptist

McMurry won 3-1 to advance to semi-finals round of ASC VB Tournament

McMurry advances to semi-finals with 3-1 win over ETBU

McMurry's fast start propelled the team to a quarterfinals victory over the Tigers and McMurry will play Hardin-Simmons at 5 p.m. for the semi-finals match. Be sure and purchase the live video feed by clicking here.

Coming out swinging in set four

McMurry leads 6-1 thanks to a couple of kills and a solo block by junior middle blocker Terah Brown. UT-Dallas burns its first timeout of the fourth set.

McMurry squanders late lead, ETBU takes McMurry to set four

ETBU hit a much-improved .171 in set three to take down McMurry 26-24, however, McMurry still holds a 2-1 lead needing just a win in set four or five to advance to the semi-finals to face Hardin-Simmons at 5 p.m.

Bailey Marcum leads McMurry with 12 kills, and Danielle Kelton moved to third all-time on McMurry's kills list passing Mandy Findley. Kelton had nine so far in the match and needed eight to pass Findley.

--KR

See-Saw in set three

McMurry came out a little flat in the third set, however, once again the team has come back to take a late lead 19-18 in the third set. McMurry looking for a sweep ...

McMurry up two sets to none on ETBU

McMurry's M.J. Vickers put down the final kill of the second set and McMurry will need to be poised and not let up as it holds a 2-0 lead over East Texas Baptist in the opening round of the ASC VB Tournament.

Bailey Marcum has seven kills, Danielle Kelton has five and McMurry's blocking scheme (six total so far) has held the Tigers to just a .036 hitting percentage through two sets. ETBU's Kourtney Adams has eight kills on 25 attacks

-- KR

Looking for a 2-0 lead

UT-Dallas just called its first timeout of the second set. McMurry leads 21-18 in a back-and-forth set. FYI, McMurry's last three matches with the Tigers have gone the full five sets. In 2007, McMurry defeated ETBU in five sets in the quarterfinals round of the ASC Tournament. Then in 2008, the Tigers beat McMurry in the regular season in five sets followed by a five-set win in the ASC Tournament. On Oct. 16 of this season, McMurry defeated the Tigers in five sets. So even, if McMurry were to hang on for a two-set lead, don't expect ETBU to lie down.

--KR

Set two tight so far

McMurry led 8-5, but ETBU is on a 4-1 run in the last five points and the Tigers tied up the score at nine forcing McMurry to use its first time out of the second set.

--KR

McMurry takes set one in comeback fashion

McMurry trailed 18-14 before storming back to take 11 of the last 16 points to take set one. McMurry hit .179 for the set and held ETBU to just .024. Danielle Kelton and Bailey Marcum each had three kills to pace McMurry and McMurry already has four team blocks led by Terah Brown's three assisted blocks.

McMurry 1 ETBU 0

Down to the wire in set one

McMurry has trailed by as many as five points in the first set, but has come back to make the score 19-18 in the first set. ETBU called its first time out after Terah Brown and Danielle Kelton teamed up to block the Tigers' Mary Morgan Swanson's attack attempt.

Live Blogging from Dallas at ASC Volleyball Tournament

We're here in Richardson at the UT-Dallas Activity Center where McMurry is taking on East Texas Baptist for the third-straight season at the American Southwest Conference Volleyball Tournament. Early in set one, McMurry and the Tigers are locked in a 5-5 tie.

A couple of notes:
• Freshman M.J. Vickers who missed all of last week with an injury is back in the starting lineup, and obviously since she's second on the team in both kills and blocks, McMurry is happy to have her back.
• McMurry has made 10 appearances in the American Southwest Conference Tournament since its inception in 1996. That is the most appearances of any school, however, McMurry has never won an ASC Tournament title
• In order to do this, McMurry will look to beat ETBU in the quarterfinals, a feat they accomplished in 2007 at this very gym in Richardson, but last year, the Tigers sent McMurry home early.
• As I complete this post, McMurry trails 9-8 in set one.

Another feature on McMurry from D3football.com

Jason Bowen, the "Around the Region" columnist for the South Region on D3football.com has been an ambassador for McMurry football this season and we appreciate the work he's been doing. However, much of his attention to McMurry is because of the changes taking place within the football program. This week, he writes on the cross-town rivalry between Hardin-Simmons and McMurry, check it out by clicking here.

Former McMurry volleyballer Abbey Hester up for the UIL all-century high school volleyball team

Marc David, who covers Abilene's college sports scene from afar in Chandler, Ariz. writes a weekly column for the Abilene Reporter News that runs Thursdays. A few weeks ago, he highlighted a former McMurry volleyball player, Abbey Hester, who's playing days at Hutto High School have garnered attention as fans were able to vote on the UIL's all-century volleyball team. Check David's column out here and check online on the Abilene Reporter News every Thursday for his college notebook.

David also used to be McMurry's beat writer for the ARN for the 2007-08 school year. Since then, he's moved to Ariz. where he teaches school, but also he is an avid runner and shared his experiences in a self-published book that McMurry fans should check out by clicking here.

ARN's Jaklewicz takes a look at the other side of sports with McMurry women's soccer

The McMurry women's soccer team finished without a win for the third-straight year, and as the season was coming to a close, Greg Jacklewicz, the sports editor for the Abilene Reporter News, wrote about the program's struggles:

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/oct/22/no-headline---jaklewicz_column/

Corpus Christi Caller Times features former Flower Bluff standout R.J. Long

This article was written by Coy Slavik a couple of weeks ago, but thought McMurry football fans might find another perspective on sophomore receiver R.J. Long. First, in case you missed it, read McMurry's feature on Long and Marcus Franklin by clicking here; then see Slavik's article link below:

http://www.caller.com/news/2009/oct/20/flour-bluff-grad-keys-turnaround/

Yesterday's Press Conferences - Football and Cross Country

Here is senior cross country runner Carla Lewis reflecting on her individual ASC Title from Saturday in Clinton, Miss.:



Here is Coach Hal Mumme's words on the bye week and preparation for Saturday's cross-town showdown with Hardin-Simmons: