In a hard-fought battle on September 24, 2024, Southwest fell to Howard Payne University in four sets (25-18, 25-8, 21-25, 25-20) in Hobbs, NM. Despite showing resilience in the third set, Southwest struggled to maintain consistency throughout the match, with errors proving costly.

The offense for Southwest was led by Chloe Paul, who contributed 7 kills and posted a respectable .200 hitting percentage. Aneesa Thompson also provided a solid performance with 5 kills, while Danna Gamez added 5 points, though her attack percentage dipped into the negative at -.045. 

Defensively, Valeria Rodriguez was a standout, recording 7 digs and adding a service ace, while Alyssa Barrera anchored the backline with 11 digs. The team's blocking game showed flashes of strength, particularly from Sarah Marin and Amaiya Williams, each contributing 2 block assists.

Despite their efforts, Southwest struggled with efficiency, finishing with a .034 attack percentage compared to Howard Payne's .279. Serving errors and inconsistent hitting plagued the team, especially in the second set where they managed just 4 kills against 5 errors, hitting negative for the set (-.045).

Looking ahead, Southwest will need to tighten up their execution and reduce unforced errors to bounce back in their next match when Xavier Univeristy Lousiana comes into town.