BELTON, TX -- Sophomore outside hitter Tanyse Moehrig-Woodard (Spring Branch/Smithson Valley) had a career high 23 kills Wednesday night but the No. 8 Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders defended their home court with a 3-2 (19-25, 25-16, 20-25, 26-24, 7-15) win over Texas Lutheran at the Mayborn Campus Center in Belton.

Moehrig-Woodard's 23 kills were a team-high as she hit .420 on the night along with 8 digs and 3 blocks. Senior Madison Weisinger (Friendswood/Friendswood) had 10 kills and 2 blocks and junior Peyton Sulak (Needville/Needville) had 7 kills, 4 digs, 3 service aces, and 3 blocks.

Adrienne Galaviz (San Antonio/Harlandale) and Shavonne Respondek (San Antonio/Madison) both recorded double doubles. Galaviz finished with 19 assists and 10 digs while Respondek finished with 23 assists while Respondek finished with 23 assists and 14 digs.

Lexi Morris (Victoria/Victoria West) led the Bulldogs with a career high 48 digs while Paige Day (San Antonio/Reagan) added 15 digs.

SET ONE

Texas Lutheran punched first starting the match with a 3-1 advantage. The Crusaders were able to narrow the gap as the two teams traded points throughout the set. A run by the Crusaders gave them a 22-18 lead and the Bulldogs would eventually drop the first set 25-19.

SET TWO

The Bulldogs turned it up a notch to start the second set winning the first five points. The set would tighten as the Crusaders found their way back into it but the Bulldogs were able to pull away and close the set 25-16 following a 6-0 run that saw the Bulldogs lead balloon to 23-14.

SET THREE

For the first time all match, the Crusaders jumped out to an early lead, but the Bulldogs were able to climb back into the frame following kills from Madison Weisinger and Maddy Schultz. The teams traded runs until things came even at 18. A series of service aces from the Crusaders spelled doom for the Bulldogs as they pulled away in the tail end of the frame to take a 2-1 lead - winning the set 25-20.

SET FOUR

With their backs against the wall, the Bulldogs rose to the occasion. The Bulldogs were in a tightly contested, back and forth battle with the 8th-ranked Crusaders throughout the fourth set with no team getting more than a two point lead through 10 points. The Bulldogs would go on a 4 point run to stretch to a 15-11 lead but, as was the case for a majority of the night, the Crusaders responded to every Bulldogs run all the way to match point. With the match hanging in the balance, the Bulldogs would score two points to win the set 26-24 and force a decisive fifth set.

SET FIVE

The fifth set was reminiscent of the third set, Mary Hardin-Baylor jumping out to an early lead but Texas Lutheran fighting admirably. As hard as the Bulldogs fought, the closest the Bulldogs would get is a 6-5 deficit as the Crusaders pulled away to close the match 15-7.

Texas Lutheran will open up their home schedule with a match tomorrow, Oct. 14, against Huston-Tillotson at 6 PM in Memorial Gymnasium. All streaming and stat links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.