NATCHITOCHES – Individually, the Northwestern State volleyball team saw some impressive performances Thursday night.
 
From a team perspective, however, the results did not add up.
 
Despite playing Houston Baptist tough for the first two sets, Northwestern State dropped its fourth straight match, falling 3-0 to the visiting Huskies at Prather Coliseum in front of a crowd of 583 on "1K Day."
 
Houston Baptist (9-10, 2-3 Southland) edged NSU 25-22 and 25-23 in the first two sets before clinching the match with a 25-18 victory in the third set.
 
"We're playing them tough on the stat sheet," first-year coach Sean Kiracofe said. "We're outplaying them in a lot of categories. We just need somebody to step up and push us through to the end. As a group, they need to decide they're going to close it out and, once they get one or two, it's going to be a different story."
 
Northwestern State (3-16, 1-5) had its chances in the first two sets, never more than in the second set.
 
In a back-and-forth set, Northwestern State used a 9-4 run to turn a three-point deficit into a 23-21 lead after an Amanda Kunz kill.
 
From there, however, Houston Baptist used kills by Blair Gillard and Jessica Wooten to tie the set at 23 before a pair of NSU errors sealed it for the Huskies.
 
In the first set, the teams traded mid-set runs, setting into a taught battle where the largest lead was three down the stretch. An NSU service error allowed Houston Baptist to take the first set.
 
After its two slim escapes in the first two sets, Houston Baptist built its lead to as much as eight (18-10) in the third set and was content to trade points with NSU until the Huskies clinched the match on a Gillard kill.
 
Despite the sweep, Northwestern State got strong performances from libero Bailey Martin (16 digs), setter Natalie Jaeger (25 assists) and Glynna Johnson (8 kills, .294 hitting percentage).
 
"Bailey really stepped up and had a great match for us," Kiracofe said. "She was above what her average digs per set are, and that was nice. She really stepped up for us. Glynna was fantastic in the first two (sets). Our ball control dropped a little, so it was more difficult to get her involved in the third.
 
"We ran (Jaeger) across the front row tonight. That looked good, and I think it will continue to get better."
 
Northwestern State hosts Southland Conference-leading Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 2 p.m. Saturday in the middle match of a three-match homestand.  The Islanders improved to 5-0 in conference play with a 3-2 win at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday.
 
Following the match, Northwestern State will host a free clinic for interested athletes in the 8^th grade and below.
 
"We're really looking forward to that," Kiracofe said. "About 15-20 minutes after the match, boys or girls, you're welcome to come and do a clinic, get a taste of some different skills. You'll be working first-hand with the girls on the team. It's going to be exciting."