Photo by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru/@lukezayasphotography
BELTON — Kendall Harrington and Natalie Hughes put up exceptional numbers on the way to individual All-ASC honors and a second-straight 20-win season last fall for UMHB Volleyball. Now as juniors, the duo figures to be crucial to The Cru’s performance yet again, and that was highlighted on Tuesday with the release of the ASC’s Preseason “Players to Watch” List. Harrington and Hughes represented UMHB on the eight-player watch list, as both return after ranking amongst the team leaders in multiple stat categories last season.
Hughes comes off a breakout sophomore campaign in which she hit .291, the fourth-best percentage in the ASC, and ranked third on the team in kills, with 212. A First Team All-ASC selection, Hughes had a season-best 21 kills in a five-set win over Rhodes, and tallied 19 kills over UMHB’s two ASC Tournament matches against Hardin-Simmons and ETBU. The Corpus Christi native averaged 2.72 points/set, a solid increase from the 2.44 points/set she recorded as a freshman in 2023.
Harrington, a Second Team All-ASC honoree and the 2023 ASC Setter of the Year, tallied 508 assists and 247 kills, both of which were the second-most on the team. Defensively, the Midland native averaged 2.94 digs/set and 321 total digs, and now has 520 digs over two seasons with the program. She was also one of just seven players on the roster to play in at least 100 sets last season, seeing action in 109.
In the preseason poll, reigning champ ETBU took the top spot, garnering all eight first-place votes. UMHB edged Hardin-Simmons for the No. 2 spot, picking up 19 points to the Cowgirls’ 18. Howard Payne rounded out the four-team poll with 11 points.
2025 ASC Volleyball Preseason Poll (Per the ASC’s news release)
| Rank | Team (1st votes) | Pts. | 2024 Record (ASC) |
| 1. | East Texas Baptist (8) | 32 | 29-2 (8-0) |
| 2. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 19 | 22-8 (4-4) |
| 3. | Hardin-Simmons | 18 | 14-11 (4-4) |
| 4. | Howard Payne | 11 | 13-13 (1-7) |
After posting consecutive 20-win seasons over the last two years, UMHB Volleyball’s quest to keep that streak going will begin in 10 days, with The Cru’s Friday night season opener at St. Thomas (TX) in Houston.
