ADA – The first Great American Conference match for the East Central University volleyball team was a good statement, with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-16) win over Southwestern Oklahoma State.

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The Lady Tigers (4-6, 1-0 GAC) were led by senior Danielle Essix, who tallied her fourth double-double of the season.  Essix garnered 11 kills and 12 digs, while adding a .360 (11k-2e-25ta) hitting percentage.  Sophomore Hayley Gerken added a team-high 12 kills, while senior Sarah Nelson had five block assists.

The opening set saw ECU take an early 3-0 advantage that they grew into an 11-3 lead, with strong overall play.  The Bulldogs (4-9, 1-1 GAC) cut the advantage to four (13-9) with a 6-2 run, but the Lady Tigers kept the advantage around four-to-five points until late in the set. 

With ECU leading 21-16, SWOSU made a final attempt to take the first-set win by going on a 7-1 run to earn a 22-23 lead.  The Lady Tigers were not done fighting and used a block and two kills to earn the next three points for the 25-23 win.

Set two again saw ECU earn an early advantage, this time 5-2.  The Bulldogs didn't wait as long to come back this time and tied the set at 11, with a 9-6 run.  The set remained close, with SWOSU taking a 13-17 lead.  The Bulldogs were up 16-20 when the Lady Tigers made a late push and used a 9-1 run to earn a 25-21 win.

The third set was close at first with five ties and three lead changes, with the final tie coming at 11-all.  ECU used a 4-0 run to take a 15-11 lead and kept it around four-or-five points until late in the set.  With the Lady Tigers up 19-15, ECU was propelled to the 25-16 win with a 6-1 run.

While the Lady Tigers were out-blocked (9-6), ECU held key advantages in hitting percentage and service aces to earn the win.  The Lady Tigers hit .205 (44k-18e-127ta) as a team and held the Bulldogs to a .087 (27k-18e-103ta) mark.  ECU also tallied five service aces to SWOSU's three.

The Lady Tigers will now travel to arch rival Southeastern Oklahoma State for a Friday, Sept. 27 match.  The first serve is set to fly at 7 p.m. at Bloomer Sullivan Arena.