After dropping a pair of matches to open the season Friday, the Yellowjacket volleyball team was looking for more during the second day of its season-opening road trip to Texas. Saturday provided more exciting play, and in the process the Yellowjackets picked up their first win of the 2018 campaign.

Yellowjackets 3, LeTourneau 0

The Yellowjackets found themselves in the meat grinder right from the start Saturday against LeTourneau, who coincidentally is also called the Yellowjackets. All three sets were tight, but this time things went Superior's way, and it swept its way to victory.

Neither team was able to pull away in the opening frame, with the largest lead being just three points in the early going. It stayed tight as the set progressed and Superior pulled ahead 18-17 on a Cami Sletta (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) kill and never looked back. A series of kills late in the set, courtesy of Anna Ribich (Biwabik, Minn./Mesabi East), Ashlee Bayer (Cameron, Wis./Cameron), and Sletta helped Superior gain separation and it moved onto a 25-21 win in the opening set.

The second set unfolded just like the first, with the teams staying close early. Superior broke a 7-7 tie on a Taylor Howe (Webster, Wis./Webster) kill and then rattled off seven points in a row to open up a 14-7 lead. Letourneau stopped the bleeding and began to claw its way back, riding a five-point run to get to within one at 20-19. The teams would trade points the rest of the set and Superior held the opponents off, ending the set 25-23 on the serve of Karlie Leif (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji).

Close play was the recipe again in the third set, as the teams kept it close, playing to a 5-5 tie early. Superior won eight of the next 10 points to pull away from LeTourneau. But it didn't last long as LeTourneau again went on a run to pull back to within two, 13-11. Superior got hot again late in the set, and again it was with Leif serving, winning four straight points to put itself on the cusp of the win. Superior secured its first win of the year when a Bayer serve couldn't be returned, making the final score in the third set 25-18.

Ribich led the charge offensively for Superior, finishing with a team-best 13 kills and a real fine .409 attack percentage. Howe and Sletta had eight kills apiece. VerWay had 32 assists. On defense Leif had 15 digs and Howe had five blocks.

Texas Lutheran 3, Yellowjackets 2

With the jet being fueled up to fly the Yellowjackets back to Wisconsin, Superior engaged in a marathon match against Texas Lutheran. The Yellowjackets looked to be making quick work of the Bulldogs, winning the first two sets by identical 25-20 scores, but Texas Lutheran rallied, winning the final three sets to escape with the match.

In what should come as no surprise, the opening set was close, with four lead changes early. A Ribich kill broke a 13-13 tie, giving the Yellowjackets a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The lead would reach six, 20-14 before the Bulldogs would close the gap and make things interesting. The Yellowjackets would win three of the last four points, the last two on kills from Sletta, to move ahead 1-0 in the match.

It was more of the same in the second set, with the teams trading points before the Yellowjackets moved ahead by four, 10-6 on a Brylee Colligan (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) kill. The Bulldogs would rally and overtake the Yellowjackets, eventually taking an 18-15 lead. After that it was all Yellowjackets, however, as they won 10 of the final 12 points to grab a 2-0 lead in the match. Bayer, Ribich, and VerWay provided kills during the late scoring surge.

Texas Lutheran got on the board in the third, which turned out to be the set that would never end. The Yellowjackets would take an early 7-3 lead, only to see the Bulldogs come roaring back and eventually take a 15-14 lead. The teams would trade points throughout the remainder of the set, with neither team gaining more than a one-point advantage. The Bulldogs would outlast the Yellowjackets, however, taking the final two points to win the set 30-28, but the Yellowjackets would still lead the match 2-1.

The Bulldogs were in control of the fourth set, jumping ahead early and opening up a big lead at 15-5. A Colligan kill broke the scoring streak and the Yellowjackets would go on a run of their own, tying the match 17-17. Kills from Colligan, VerWay, Sletta, and Hannah Goggleye (Calumet, Minn./Greenway) helped the Yellowjackets draw even. The teams again would trade points and a Howe kill saw the Yellowjackets get back to within one, 23-22. That's as close as they would get and the Bulldogs tied the match, forcing the fifth set.

In the fifth Texas Lutheran grabbed the lead early and never let the Yellowjackets back in. Consecutive kills by Bayer and Colligan got them to within 9-7, but the Bulldogs were too much and held Superior off, winning the set 15-11 and the match 3-2.

Colligan and Sletta led the Yellowjackets with 14 kills in the tournament finale, while Bayer provided 13. VerWay was once again the table setter, throwing up 54 assists. On defense Leif turned in 27 digs, while VerWay (18), Elise Ertl (Phillips, Wis./Phillips) (16), Colligan (10), and Megan Holz (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) (10) all hit double digits.

Up Next: The Yellowjackets 91-3-0, 0-0-0 U.M.A.C.) will make their home debut Wednesday, September 5 when they host Finlandia University. Game time from Mertz Mortorelli Gym is set for 7:00  p.m.