Box Score The Texas Wesleyan Rams dropped their first match in the national tournament against Hastings College 16-25, 26-24, 25-23, 10-25, 17-15. The loss ends the Rams' run for a national title.

The #24 Rams faced a raucous home crowd and the # 7 Hastings College Broncos in the first round of the national tournament in Hastings, Nebraska. 

The two teams were pretty even on paper, but the Broncos'Broncos' 169 attacks to Texas Wesleyan'sWesleyan's 160 gave them the win. The Rams had a better hitting percentage overall at .212 to Hastings'Hastings' .130, but those extra swings took Texas Wesleyan out of its game enough times in the match to give the Broncos the win.

The Rams outmuscled the Broncos in the first set for the 25-16 win with 14 kills and only four errors. Texas Wesleyan relied on its multi-pronged attack to keep the Broncos guessing. Behind the hitting of Grace Pavelka, Skylar Warde, Sydney Charlton, Sydney Alexander, Carly Unruh and Kendal King, the Ram offense went at the Broncos from all sides. 

But the second set saw the Rams beginning to fall prey to attack errors from their big hitters at the same time that the Bronco's big hitters started to catch fire. The Rams were able to tie the game three times before Hastings College got the 26-24 win with back-to-back kills from Majesta Valasek.

The third set saw Texas Wesleyan keep a tight rein on the Broncos, tying the game ten times before falling 25-23. A combination of attack errors and service errors gave the Broncos momentum in crucial times to get the win.

The Rams came out with their backs against the wall and blew past Hastings in the fourth set 25-10. Strong serving and hitting from Alexander, Charlton, Warde and Carly Unruh gave the Lady Rams the edge they needed to hand the Broncos the loss and send the two teams into a fifth and deciding set.

The Broncos came out ready to play in the final set, taking a 10-6 lead before the Rams got back on track. A combination of Hastings attack errors and Pavelka's kills knotted the game at 10-10. The rest of the game would prove just as close, with the Rams taking the Broncos to two match points before a series of Ram errors left Hastings with the 17-15 win and the match. 

Warde and King led the Rams with 12 kills each. Charlton had 11 kills, Pavelka had seven, and Alexander had six kills and three solo blocks. Ruby O'BrienO'Brien recorded 30 assists and nine digs in the game. Andrea Malek led the Ram defense once again with 21 digs.

The loss ends the Rams season at 26-6 overall and 8-2 in SAC. Hastings College improves to 20-13 and 8-8 in conference place.