Box Score ABILENE, Texas – For the seventh time in 11 matches, Newman volleyball went to a fifth set, and today (Sept. 28) the Lady Jets were victorious, 3-2, at McMurry inside Kimbrell Arena. NU upped its record to 5-6 and 2-4 in the Heartland Conference.
 
After dropping the first set, 25-13, NU recovered to win sets two and three. With the score tied at 11-11, the Lady Jets took control of set two with an 8-2 run to go up 19-13. After back-to-back Ashley Gonzalez kills and a War Hawk error, NU won the second set with a block from Gonzalez and Alexis Roecker.
 
The third set was close throughout and was tied at 14-14. The Lady Jets led for the rest of the set after putting away three straight points to go up 17-14. McM closed the gap to one at 20-19, but that was as close as the hosts got in the set as a Jarin Braithwait kill lifted NU to a 25-22 set win.
 
The War Hawks won set four, 25-17, and forced the Lady Jets into another five-set match, their seventh this season.
 
NU raced out to a 6-2 advantage in the final set, forcing McM to call a timeout. After a War Hawk point, the Lady Jets went on a 4-0 run with two kills from Braithwait and one by Gaylynn Jones to go up 10-3. Kills by Braithwait, Gonzalez and Jeana Farruggia made it 13-8. An error by McM gave NU match point at 14-10. Farruggia put the match away with a kill and a 15-11 set five final score.
 
Jones totaled a match-high 19 kills, Gonzalez added 15 kills and Braithwait had 12 kills. Middle hitters Braithwait and Gonzalez hit .458 and .387, respectively. Braithwait's hitting percentage of .458 is a NU season high, and Gonzalez's .387 hitting percentage is third-best by a Lady Jet this season. Alexus Litts had 54 assists, a career high. Libero Tori Alderson led NU with 14 digs.
 
The Lady Jets return home for a four-match home stretch. NU plays Texas A&M International on Thursday (Oct. 3) at 7 p.m. in a Heartland Conference match.