WICHITA – The Newman volleyball team pulled out two exciting five-set victories today (Oct. 24) against Lubbock Christian and Tarleton State at Fugate Gymnasium. With the two wins, NU moved to 20-6 on the season and 9-2 in the Heartland Conference.
 
NU 3, LCU 2
 
The Jets started today with a 3-2 victory against LCU in conference play. NU fell behind 2-0, but rebounded to win sets three, four and five to get the win. It's the third straight time the Jets and Lady Chaps have played a five-set match with the Jets winning all three times.
 
Strong hitting performances in the first two sets by the Lady Chaps allowed them to gain the 2-0 edge with wins by the scores of 25-22 and 25-22. In the first, LCU hit .293 with 16 kills and four errors. LCU was just as strong in the second set with 15 kills and four errors for a .275 hitting percentage. Late runs in both of the sets allowed the Chaps to get the wins.
 
In the third, LCU started with a 5-1 spurt, however, NU responded to tie the score at 5-5. Ashley Gonzalez totaled two kills during the 4-0 run. With the score tied at 17-17, NU went on to pull out to a 22-19 advantage, forcing LCU to take a timeout. The Chaps knotted the score at 22-22 with three straight points, but the Jets closed out the set with three points of their own for the 25-22 win.
 
NU gained the momentum and cruised out to a 15-5 lead in the fourth set. The Jets held a 21-8 advantage at one point and rolled to the 25-15 win in the fourth set.
 
The deciding fifth set was close with both teams trading points. With the score tied at 12-12, NU again scored three-straight points to get the 15-12 win in the fifth and the 3-2 victory in the match. Gonzalez put NU up 13-12. She gave the Jets match point with an ace, and then Gaylynn Jones put down the match-winning kill for NU.
 
NU finished hitting .244, including .543 in the fourth set. The Jets totaled 20 kills with only one error on 35 attempts in the fourth. The Chaps finished with a .194 hitting percentage.
 
Gonzalez, a senior middle hitter, totaled a match-high 20 kills and a .326 hitting percentage. She added six digs and three aces. She had one block solo. Three Jets tallied double-doubles. Kayla Turner finished with 15 kills, hitting .275, and added 22 digs. Jones registered 16 kills and 16 digs. Senior setter Alexus Litts totaled a career-high 66 assists and 14 digs for a double-double. Andrea Wheeler had 23 digs, and libero Anna Burton added 22 digs.
 
NU 3, TSU 2
 
In the nightcap, NU defeated a Tarleton State team with a 19-3 record before today and receiving votes in the NCAA Division II Top 25. The Jets won sets one, three and five to get the 3-2 victory.
 
In the first, NU started fast, building a 12-4 advantage. A Gonzalez kill put the Jets up 20-12. The TexAnns went on a 6-1 run to close to 21-18, however, NU scored three straight to get set point at 24-18. After a TSU kill, Turner put the set away with a kill for the 25-19 win.
 
The Jets carried the momentum into set two, gaining a 7-3 advantage early. After TSU took a timeout down 12-8, they went on a 7-2 run to take a 15-14 lead. With the score tied at 19-19, the TexAnns went up 22-19 with three straight points. NU battled to one point at 22-21, but TSU scored just enough points to get the 25-23 win.
 
The three set was all TSU to start as the visitors built a 7-2 advantage. Facing a 16-11 deficit, NU ended the set on a 14-4 run to cruise to the 25-20 win.
 
In the fourth, the TexAnns got out to a 21-14 advantage. The Jets chipped away to down only three at 23-20, but TSU closed it out for the 25-21 victory.
 
The deciding fifth set was all Jets as they started with four straight points. After two TSU points, NU went on another 3-0 run to gain a 7-2 edge. The TexAnns closed to within two at 9-7, but the Jets again turned it on, ending the match on a 6-1 run for the 15-8 victory. Yemima Buana and Jones each had two kills in the spurt, and Emily Harvey put the match away with a kill.  In the final set, NU finished with a .471 hitting percentage with nine kills and one error.
 
NU hit .222 in the match with 58 kills and 22 errors on 162 attempts. They hit .250 in the second set and .242 in the first set. TSU finished with a .169 hitting percent with 64 kills and 35 errors on 172 attempts.
 
Gonzalez again totaled a match-high in kills with 18 and hit .333. She tallied three aces and seven blocks to go with six digs. Harvey added 15 kills and a .237 hitting percentage. Jones was also in double digs with 11 kills. Litts finished with 53 assists, four blocks and nine digs. Burton had a team-high 19 digs, and Wheeler and Turner added 10 digs.
 
TSU's All-American outside hitter Hailey Roberts totaled 18 kills and hit .180 in four sets. She left in the fourth set due to injury. Xzache Mathis added 17 kills and hit .368 for TSU.
 
The Jets go on the road for their next two contests. NU takes on St. Edward's on Thursday (Oct. 29) at 7 p.m. in Austin, Texas. They then go to Dallas Baptist on Saturday (Oct. 31) for a 12 p.m. match in Dallas.