SHREVEPORT, La. â€" Texas Lutheran Volleyball came into this weekend looking to make a statement and move up the SCAC standings. The Bulldogs are one step closer to that goal after two convincing wins over Centenary and Austin College on Saturday.
 
TLU opened up the four-match SCAC pod with a 3-0 sweep of host-school Centenary. It followed that up with a 3-1 win over the Kangaroos. The two wins improved the Bulldogs' record to 13-4 overall and 3-2 in SCAC play.
 
The Bulldogs got their weekend off on the right foot with the convincing 25-15, 25-14, 25-9 sweep of Centenary. The Bulldogs controlled the match throughout. The latest they trailed in any of the sets was a 9-8 deficit early in the first.
 
Texas Lutheran's .305 hitting percentage against the Ladies was its second highest of the year. It also held Centenary to .000 hitting, tying the season low for an opponent. The Ladies tallied just 19 kills for the match compared to 43 for the Bulldogs.
 
Leading the way in that category for TLU was middle blocker Mackenzie Benson (Cibolo, Texas). The sophomore tied her season high with 11 kills and an ultra-efficient .600 against the Ladies. She also notched two digs and a solo block.
 
Senior setter Katie Darst (Euless, Texas) turned in another solid day as the engine of this TLU squad. She tallied 25 assists and her nine digs left her just one shy of a double-double.
 
The Bulldogs used big runs in the middle of each of the three sets to take control. Seven straight points in the first set put TLU up 18-10. A 7-1 run in the second set gave the Bulldogs a 22-12 lead. An 8-1 stretch in the third set gave TLU a 22-8 advantage.
 
Benson played a pivotal role in TLU's 25-18, 23-25, 25-19, 25-14 win over Austin College, as well. She finished that match second on the team with 12 kills on .357 hitting, while also racking up two more blocks.
 
The Bulldogs carried over the strong defensive play from their first match, holding the 'Roos to .094 hitting. One key was the work of Megan Lee (Universal City, Texas). The senior libero tallied 33 digs to go along with two aces and two kills.
 
Brette Threadgill led the team with 14 kills, while hitting .190. Darst once again led the team with 29 assists.
 
Texas Lutheran's weekend wraps up tomorrow with another pair of conference clashes in Shreveport. First, the Bulldogs face off against No. 10-ranked Colorado College at 10 a.m. before concluding against Dallas at 4 p.m. Live stats are available via tlubulldogs.com.