BELTON, Texas.  While facing stiff competition in the Lone Star State, the Methodist volleyball team suffered a pair of losses on Friday afternoon, falling to Schreiner University and LeTourneau University. The Monarchs took the first set in each match but were unable to turn their early leads into victories.

Final scores: Schreiner def. Methodist, 3–2 (25–27, 23–25, 25–15, 25–12, 15–10); LeTourneau def. Methodist, 3–1 (19–25, 25–15, 25–20, 25–21)
Records: Methodist 5–5, Schreiner 6–3, LeTourneau 5–3
Event: Mary Hardin–Baylor Tournament
Host: University of Mary Hardin–Baylor
Location: Mayborn Campus Center; Belton, Texas

Game One
The Monarchs won a nail–biter of a first set, holding off the Mountaineers for a 27–25 victory. Of Methodist's 15 kills, Jamie Holton and Addison Johnson were each responsible for five. Leaping out to a large lead in the second set, the Monarchs held a 19–10 advantage before narrowly taking the set 25–23.

The third and fourth sets weren't close enough for Methodist to replicate its clutch success from earlier in the match.  After trailing for the entire third set, the Monarchs led 8–4 in the fourth before conceding a 10–point run.

In the tiebreaker set, the Monarchs won the first point before falling behind and eventually dropping the match. Schreiner was most efficient in the final set, recording a hitting percentage of .333 with nine kills and just three errors on 18 total attacks.

Game Two
Carlyn Tanis made a noticeable impact in the first set versus the YellowJackets, logging four kills and two service aces as the Monarchs captured a 25–19 win. As a team, Methodist attacked at a .211 clip during the set, which turned out to be the best single–set hitting percentage for the squad during the match.

The Monarchs earned 11 kills to LeTourneau's nine in the second set, but they recorded 10 attack errors compared to just two by the YellowJackets. Sets three and four proved to be relatively even statistically, but the Monarchs fell short in both. Down 20–14 in the third, a five–point run that featured three service aces for Savannah Hovander pulled Methodist within one. Hovander also put the Monarchs ahead late in the fourth with back–to–back kills to make the score 18–17.

Highlights
Appearing in two full matches on the same day for the first time in her young collegiate career, Charleigh Anne Hewett excelled while serving as the team's setter on Friday, recording 32 assists in the first match of the day and 40 in the second match. She's the first Monarch to reach 40 assists in a match since her older sister Hannah, who accomplished the feat 13 times during the 2024 season. 

Mary Miller contributed 21 digs versus Schreiner and a season–high 23 against LeTourneau, while also leading the team with five services aces on the day.

Up Next
The Monarchs return to the court early on Saturday, taking on Hardin–Simmons University at 10 a.m. ET before facing host University of Mary Hardin–Baylor at 2:30 p.m. ET.