RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech volleyball team dropped a hard-fought, 3-2 (29-27, 21-25, 18-25, 25-16, 15-6) decision to the visiting North Texas Mean Green on Friday evening from the Thomas Assembly Center.
 
North Texas (5-11, 1-0 C-USA) staked a 29-27 back-and-forth first set, before the Lady Techsters (5-10, 0-1 C-USA) rattled off wins in sets and two to stake a 2-1 lead in the match. However, North Texas had a response, and tallied wins in sets four and five to complete the comeback and take the match.
 
LA Tech freshman setter Abigail Hildenbrand posted 47 assists along with 14 digs for her team-best fourth double-double of the season. Meanwhile, four Lady Techsters finished the match with double-digit kills (first time this season) as Kaitlyn Adams (15 kills), Jordyn Carswell (12 kills), Madeline Davis (12 kills) and Lara Hendricks (11 kills) supplied the bulk of the damage offensively. Carswell added a season-best and a team-high 20 digs for her second double-double of the season, while Hendricks finished with 10 digs – also posting her second double-double of 2018.
 
Davis was a presence at the net once again, finishing with a season-high six blocks. Alyssa Zucco added 18 digs of her own, along with four assists. Junior Morgan Currie also contributed on the defensive side with a season-best 17 digs of her own.
 
North Texas was led offensively by 29 kills from Valerie Valerian. Jordyn Williams provided 10 blocks up the middle, as the Mean Green struck for 17.5 blocks as a team.
 
In set number one, both teams showed a strong willingness to win, as the frame saw eight separate ties and three lead changes. Tech took early command in the first, racing out to an 8-3 lead. The Mean Green slowly clawed back, and eventually tied the match at 14. Tech would maintain the lead however, stretching it back out to as large as three at 20-17. An ensuing 4-1 North Texas run would even the match at 21, and then a Valerian kill would give North Texas its first lead at 22-21. Both teams exchanged blows with neither gaining the necessary two-point lead to close the set, before a pair of Tech attack errors gave the Mean Green the 29-27 triumph.
 
In sets two and three, the Tech offense operated with supreme efficiency, hitting .351 and .293 in the frames, respectively.
 
With a 2-1 deficit, North Texas did not trail in the fourth or fifth sets, and escaped with a comeback five-set triumph.
 
Tech will return to conference action on Sunday at 1 p.m., welcoming Middle Tennessee (4-9, 0-1 C-USA) to the Thomas Assembly Center.