The Temple College Leopards hosted the Cisco College Wranglers in North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference action Wednesday evening at Kirby Johnson Court.

The Leopards shook off a sluggish start and played extremely well down the stretch. However, the Wranglers were able to outlast Temple in two of the final three games to win the match, 3-1.

Scores of the contest were 25-11, 23-25, 25-22, and 25-23.

Cisco (10-8 overall, 6-5 NTJCAC, fifth place) gained a hold of the opening game after nudging out to a 6-3 advantage with 19-8 stretch to comfortably win the first set by 14.

The Leopards rebounded in game two after Cisco started the set with a 10-5 run. Two Lana Wright kills, a Kenedee Pennington kill, and an Abbie Soileau ace fueled a 6-1 streak to tie the game at 11-11.

The teams were tied ten times in the set and they traded one-point leads through the latter stages of the set before Pennington registered two kills inside the final three points to help Temple tie the match.

The Wranglers took a 13-7 lead in game three before Temple mounts a 12-5 run of their own to take a 19-18 lead. Wright, Kharma Brown, and Yasmine Traore logged big kills during the run. Cisco outscored the Leopards 7-3 over the last ten points to take a 2-1 lead in the set.

Cisco jetted out to an 8-4 lead in game four before Temple (7-17 overall, 1-10 NTJCAC) responded with 8-1 streak to take a 12-9 advantage into the middle stages of the set. The Wranglers were leading 17-14 when the Leopards mounted a 7-5 stretch to take a 21-19 lead. However, Temple's bid to come out on top in game four was short-circuited by circumstances that changed the momentum of game, which Cisco parlayed into a match-ending 6-2 run.

Traore and Karlee Williamson each logged double-doubles, with Traore picking up 11 digs and ten kills and Williamson having contributed 31 kills and 12 digs. Brown and Pennington added seven kills in Temple's 45-kill performance. Hanna Ward added 15 digs, Pennington had 14, and Soileau contributed 11 of Temple's 80 digs.

Jaylah Lumar led Cisco with 16 of their 47 kills. Katie Wadas and Ta'Mya Hicks had double-doubles in assists and digs, with Hicks having contributed 16 helpers and ten digs, and Wadas having added 15 assists and 14 digs. Cale Brown led Cisco with 18 digs.

Temple will head to Waco on Saturday to take on McLennan Community College at The Highlands Gymnasium.