Hammond, Ind. – The Southwest Baptist University women's volleyball team put together an impressive weekend at the Midwest Regional Crossover Tournament, winning two of three matches at the Hammond Sportsplex. All three matches went the full five sets, with the Bearcats overcoming two-set deficits in back-to-back victories over Tiffin and Northwood. SBU finished the weekend 2-1 moving to a 14-8 overall record.
The Bearcats opened the tournament Friday afternoon against Wayne State University, falling in a thrilling five-set battle. After dropping the opening two sets 25-18 and 25-22, SBU fought back to take the next two 25-23 and 25-20. The deciding set went beyond the usual 15 points before Wayne State narrowly escaped with a 19-17 victory. Julia Marinesi led SBU with 21 kills and 25 digs, while Gabriela Dupree added 20 kills. Melissa Patel contributed 24 digs, and Allie Hawk recorded 29 assists.
SBU bounced back later Friday evening against Tiffin University, once again finding itself trailing two sets to none. After dropping the opening sets 25-17 and 25-19, the Bearcats battled back to take the third 27-25 before dominating the fourth 25-17. Southwest Baptist completed the comeback with a 16-14 victory in the deciding set, earning its first win of the tournament.
The Bearcats carried that momentum into Saturday's matchup against Northwood University, completing another remarkable reverse sweep. SBU dropped the first two sets 25-18 and 25-15 before storming back with a 25-17 victory in the third. The Bearcats edged Northwood 26-24 in the fourth before closing out the match with a commanding 15-9 victory in the fifth.
Essence Gilmer led the Bearcats against Northwood with 16 kills and five service aces, while Hannah Jackson and Gabriela Dupree each contributed 12 kills. Allie Hawk directed the offense with 36 assists, while Melissa Patel led the defensive effort with 14 digs. SBU finished the match with 13 service aces, helping fuel its second straight comeback victory.
The Bearcats finished the Midwest Regional Crossover with a 2-1 record, showing tremendous resilience by winning six consecutive sets after falling behind 2-0 against Tiffin and Northwood. Southwest Baptist improves to 14-8 overall and guarantee themselves a .500 record this season as they turns their attention back toward GLVC competition.
