For the second time in North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference play, the Temple College Volleyball team and McLennan Community College squared off in volleyball action.

On Saturday, the teams met for the first time at The Highlands Gymnasium in Waco.

The Leopards and Highlanders battled for four sets, one more than the first time they play on Kirby Johnson Court on Sept. 10. In a match way closer than the first, the Highlanders outlasted Temple, 3-1.

Scores of the match were 25-18, 25-21, 25-27, and 25-21.

Temple led in all four matches. However, McLennan found ways to pull ahead in all four. The Leopards managed to fight off match point in the third game to take a set off the Highlanders, and led the majority of game four. McLennan found their second wind and got past the Leopards late for the match victory.

By the numbers: Objects in the mirror much closer than they appear

Temple has played well over its past six conference matches, although they have just one match win to show for it.

In the past 22 sets, dating back to the Southwestern Christian College match on Sept. 24, the Leopards are 7-15.

They had a 3-0 win over SwCC, 3-0 loss to No. 3 Weatherford, and 3-1 losses to Vernon, Collin, Cisco, and MCC.

It is a vast improvement of over their 0-6 conference start, where they won just five of 23 sets played.

In the first six matches in opening games, the total margin was -16, an average loss of -2.7 points.

In second games, the total margin was -44, an average of -7.3 points.

In third games, the total margin was -36, an average loss of -6 points.

In fourth games (two games), the total margin was six, an average of -3 points.

In fifth and deciding games (two games, first to 15 points with a two-point minimum win), the total margin was -13 points, an average of 6.5 points.

Their recent record is deceiving, as many of the games by average have been close.

In the first game of matches, the Leopards total margin of defeat is 12 points, which is an average of -2 points.

In second games, Temple's total margin of defeat was six points, average margin of loss of -1 point.

In third games, the Leopards' margin of defeat 14, an average of -2.3 points.

In fourth games (four played), Temple's margin of loss was 12 points, an average loss of three points.

The Leopards have not played a fifth game in a match since Sept. 14 at North Central Texas College in Gainesville.

Next up

The Leopards will host NCTC on Wednesday at Kirby Johnson Court at 6 pm.

Temple and the Lions faced off on Sept. 14, with NCTC winning in five games, 3-2. Scores of their first matchup were 18-25, 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, and 15-8.