BELTON, Texas – Carroll University women's volleyball wrapped up play at the Mary Hardin-Baylor Invitational on Saturday, splitting a pair of five-set matches to finish the opening weekend of the 2026 season with a 2-2 record. The Pioneers opened the day with a five-set victory over LeTourneau University before falling just short in another five-set battle against host Mary Hardin-Baylor to close out the weekend.
Game 1 vs LeTourneau: Carroll 3, LeTourneau 2 (25-20, 22-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-8)
Carroll opened day two of the Mary Hardin-Baylor Invitational the same way it started day one, with a hard-fought five-set victory, this time over LeTourneau University. The Pioneers started the match hot, taking the first set 25-20 behind a strong scoring stretch midway through the set that included two separate four-point runs. LeTourneau answered with wins of 25-22 and 25-21 in the second and third sets, putting Carroll one set away from defeat. The Pioneers responded well to the adversity, overcoming an early 8-3 deficit in the fourth set before eventually building a 23-17 advantage. Carroll held off a late LeTourneau push to take the set 25-23 and force a deciding fifth set.
Carroll carried its momentum into the fifth, jumping out to an early 10-2 advantage. LeTourneau wouldn't go down without a fight, scoring four straight points to cut the Pioneer lead to 10-6, but Carroll regained control down the stretch to secure its second five-set victory of the weekend.
Audrey Rosenbaum and Carly Hicklin led the Pioneer attack with 15 kills apiece. Lexi Proctor delivered an impressive all-around performance, finishing with 14 kills on a .400 hitting percentage, 28 assists and 12 digs as she continues to make an impact early in her collegiate career. Samantha Miserendino anchored the Pioneer defense with a match-high 31 digs.
Game 2 vs Mary Hardin-Baylor: Carroll 2, Mary Hardin-Baylor 3 (15-14, 27-25, 19-25, 24-26, 14-16)
Carroll closed out its weekend against host Mary Hardin-Baylor, coming up just short in another five-set battle. The Pioneers came out firing in the opening set, hitting .452 with 16 kills and just two errors en route to a dominant 25-14 victory. Carroll carried that momentum into a much tighter second set, fighting through a back-and-forth finish to take the frame 27-25 and build a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Mary Hardin-Baylor responded with a 25-19 victory in the third before the two teams battled throughout the fourth. Carroll held a 24-23 advantage with an opportunity to close out the match, but the Crusaders scored the final three points to steal the set 26-24 and force a decisive fifth.
The fifth set proved just as competitive. Carroll found itself trailing late before an Audrey Rosenbaum kill gave the Pioneers a 14-13 advantage and match point. Mary Hardin-Baylor answered, however, scoring the final three points of the match to take the set 16-14 and hand Carroll a narrow 3-2 defeat.
Despite the loss, Carroll held the advantage in kills (66-61), service aces (12-9), blocks (7-3) and digs (86-85). Audrey Rosenbaum and Carly Hicklin led the Pioneer attack with 15 kills apiece, while Clara Justice added 13 kills on a .265 hitting percentage. Lexi Proctor continued her strong start to the season with 12 kills on .286 hitting and a team-high 31 assists. Hicklin also delivered six service aces, while Samantha Miserendino anchored the defense with 24 digs.
Weekend Recap
Carroll finished its opening weekend with a 2-2 record, with three of its four matches going the full five sets. The Pioneers will now return to Waukesha for their 2026 home opener on Wednesday, September 9, when they welcome Wisconsin Lutheran College to Van Male Field House. That match is scheduled for 6 p.m.
