BELTON, Tx. – The UC Santa Cruz women's volleyball team improved to 15-12 on the season with a 3-1 victory over Hardin-Simmons University on Saturday afternoon. In the game against the HSU Cowgirls, Heidi Collins led the attack with 16 kills while Kelly Ann Greene and Kate Lau ended the day with 12 and 10, respectively. Ashley Magley and Margo Melgoza both recorded five aces while Melgoza dished out 42 assists. Anna Hospodar and Ella Sniezek anchored the defense with 17 digs and 15 digs while Lau recorded 12. Later in the day, UCSC dropped a hard fought five set match (25-13, 18-25, 14-25, 25-22, 15-11) to LeTourneau to wrap up their Texas road trip with a 3-1 record on the weekend. Despite a dominant start and strong performances from Margo Melgoza, who recorded 39 assists, and Anna Hospodar with 25 digs, the Slugs were narrowly edged out. Kelly Ann Greene led the attack with 16 kills, supported by Ashley Magley's 11 kills and Kate Lau's ten kills, bringing UCSC's regular season record to 15-13. The Slugs will be back in action on November 15 in Newport News, Virginia where they will begin the C2C Conference Tournament.
 
UCSC 3, Hardin-Simmons 1
After a Margo Melgoza ace and Ashley Magley kill started the day, the Banana Slugs charged forward to an 11-6 lead to get the game started. The Cowgirls managed to slow UCSC's momentum and cut the lead to 12-9 but UC Santa Cruz quickly regrouped and responded with a 12-4 run with kills from Magley and Kelly Ann Greene along with four-straight service aces from Magley to take a 24-13 lead. HSU recorded a kill while the two teams traded service errors at the end of the set, giving the Slugs a 25-15 set one win.
 
In set two, UCSC held the early advantage and later worked to a 16-12 lead, but HSU stormed back into the set, tying the contest at 16-16 before taking the lead at 22-20. The Slugs battled tough down the stretch to try to earn the victory, but a late kill and service ace gave HSU a 27-25 set two win.
 
UCSC responded in the third and fourth sets, taking an early 10-5 lead in set three before fending off a surge from HSU at 14-14 to take the set 25-19, closing it out on an 11-5 run. Set four saw the Slugs work from behind as HSU took a 3-0 lead and held their advantage until 8-7 with the Slugs going on a 10-2 run with aces from Kelly Ann Greene and Margo Melgoza to take the lead at 18-9. Despite the big run, HSU fought back, closing the gap to 23-20 but couldn't cause any more trouble as Kelly Ann Greene recorded two kills down the stretch to seal the 25-20 set win and the 3-1 victory for UCSC.
 
UCSC 2, LeTourneau 3
The Banana Slugs came out strong in the first set, building an early 7-2 lead and keeping control to finish with a decisive 25-13 win. UCSC's efficient attack featured 11 kills, four aces, and three blocks, setting a confident tone for the match.
 
LeTourneau answered back in the second set, taking advantage of a 17-9 lead to claim the set 25-18. Greene delivered four kills, but the Yellowjackets' offense held steady to level the match. The third set saw LeTourneau maintain momentum, overcoming UCSC with a 25-14 win as the Slugs struggled to regain their rhythm.
UCSC rallied in the fourth set, jumping to a 9-3 lead and battling through a 15-15 tie. In a strong finish, the Slugs pulled away to win 25-22, forcing the fifth and deciding set.
 
Both teams fought hard in the fifth set, with UCSC coming up just short as LeTourneau clinched the final set 15-11, securing the match.
 
UCSC now looks ahead to their next match, scheduled for November 15th in Christopher Newport, VA for the C2C Conference Tournament.