HESSTON, Kan. — The Hesston College volleyball team put together a strong weekend on the road Oct. 23-24, earning three victories in four matches across Texas and Oklahoma. The Larks swept Southwestern Adventist University before falling in a five-set battle against Arlington Baptist University on Friday, then bounced back Saturday with wins over Dallas Christian College and Randall University.

Hesston College 3, Southwestern Adventist University 0

Friday, Oct. 23 | Arlington, Texas | 25-11, 25-21, 25-3

The Larks opened the weekend with a dominant straight-set victory over Southwestern Adventist, hitting an impressive .406 as a team with 52 kills and just nine attacking errors.

Lydia Foster led Hesston with 11 kills, while Jaycee Ray added 10 kills without an attacking error, hitting .588. Kennedie Esparza contributed nine kills and three service aces, while Delayna Kerry and Layla Romero each finished with eight kills.

Rebekah Blackmer directed the offense with 20 assists, followed by Kerry with 14. Sarahi Paez anchored the defense with 19 digs, while Kerry added 11.

After taking the first set 25-11, Hesston held off a stronger Southwestern Adventist challenge in the second before closing the match with a commanding 25-3 third-set victory.

Arlington Baptist University 3, Hesston College 2

Friday, Oct. 23 | Arlington, Texas | 22-25, 21-25, 25-15, 25-23, 20-18

Hesston carried its momentum into Friday's second match, winning the opening two sets against Arlington Baptist before the Patriots rallied to claim a tightly contested five-set victory.

The Larks took the first two sets 25-22 and 25-21, but Arlington Baptist responded with wins of 25-15 and 25-23 to force a deciding fifth set. Both teams battled beyond the standard 15-point finish before the Patriots edged Hesston 20-18.

Ray and Foster led the Larks with 13 kills apiece. Ray hit .355 and added one solo block and seven block assists, while Esparza contributed 10 kills.

Kerry recorded 23 assists and 15 digs, while Paez led the defense with 23 digs. Haag and Esparza also finished with 15 digs each.

Hesston totaled 101 digs in the match, demonstrating a strong defensive effort despite the narrow loss.

Hesston College 3, Dallas Christian College 1

Saturday, Oct. 24 | Moore, Okla. | 25-18, 25-7, 22-25, 25-20

The Larks returned to the win column Saturday morning, defeating Dallas Christian in four sets.

Hesston took control early with a 25-18 opening-set victory before dominating the second set 25-7. Dallas Christian responded with a 25-22 win in the third, but the Larks secured the match with a 25-20 fourth-set victory.

Esparza led the offensive effort with 12 kills on a .414 hitting percentage, committing no attacking errors on 29 attempts. She also recorded four service aces.

Ray added eight kills while hitting .412, along with four block assists. Foster and Kerry each contributed five kills.

Blackmer led Hesston with 17 assists, followed by Kerry with 14. Paez anchored the defense with 20 digs, while Haag added 11.

The Larks finished with a .204 hitting percentage and eight service aces while holding Dallas Christian to a .038 hitting percentage.

Hesston College 3, Randall University 1

Saturday, Oct. 24 | Moore, Okla. | 25-12, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19

Hesston closed out its weekend with another four-set victory, defeating Randall University to finish the road trip with a 3-1 record.

The Larks opened with a convincing 25-12 first-set win before edging Randall 25-23 in the second. After Randall claimed the third set 25-22, Hesston responded with a 25-19 victory in the fourth to secure the match.

Ray delivered a standout performance, leading the Larks with 14 kills on a .462 hitting percentage. She also contributed one solo block and nine block assists.

Foster added 10 kills, followed by Romero with eight and Blackmer with seven. Blackmer also directed the offense with 26 assists and two service aces, while Addison Graves recorded three aces.

Paez led Hesston defensively with 14 digs, while Haag and Esparza each added seven.

As a team, the Larks recorded 50 kills and hit .262 while holding Randall to a .076 hitting percentage.

With three wins in four matches, Hesston improved to 16-9 overall heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

The Larks return to action Tuesday, Oct. 27, traveling to Lawrence, Kan., to face Haskell Indian Nations University in a Continental Athletic Conference matchup at 7 p.m.