FORT WORTH, TX — Texas Wesleyan University (17-7, 13-3 SAC) edged out Wayland Baptist in a five-set thriller (25-16, 18-25, 16-25, 25-23, 15-9) on Friday night at the Sid Richardson Center, boosting their record to 17-7 overall and 13-3 in SAC conference play.

Wayland Baptist (12-8, 11-5 SAC) put up a fight, taking the second and third sets, but ultimately fell short in the fifth set.

Texas Wesleyan opened strong with a dominant 25-16 first set, posting a .414 hitting percentage while holding Wayland Baptist to just .192.

Wayland Baptist, however, responded by winning the second and third sets behind stellar offensive performances from Selma Sutaj, who led all players with 20 kills, and Carlee Heidebrecht, who added ten kills and 17 digs.

The fourth set saw Texas Wesleyan regain momentum, narrowly winning 25-23 as they held off multiple Wayland Baptist surges. Lyric Biggiers shone for the Rams with 11 kills, four aces, and six blocks, along with Grace Pavelka's ten kills and Makenna Gantt's 11 assists and nine kills, propelled Texas Wesleyan to a fifth set.

Texas Wesleyan closed out the match in the fifth set 15-9, showcasing resilience and improved team chemistry. Emily Lewis anchored the Rams defensively with 17 digs, while Ruby O'Brien contributed a team-high 18 assists.

Wayland Baptist outperformed Texas Wesleyan in total kills (52-49) and blocks (9-10) but was unable to overcome the Rams' edge in service aces (12-5).  

The Rams will play next at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Sid Richardson Center against Oklahoma Panhandle State University.