DURANT, OKLA. – For the first time in six tires the East Central University volleyball team earned a 3-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-21) victory at Southeastern Oklahoma State in Great American Conference action.

Box Score

The Lady Tigers (5-6, 2-0 GAC) were led by senior Danielle Essix, with 20 kills, eight digs and a .372 (20k-4e-43ta) hitting percentage.  Sophomore Hayley Gerken added 10 kills and three block assists.  Senior Jessica Wilkinson added her second double-double of the season with 24 assists and 14 digs.

"Finally being able to win at Southeastern was great for the team," said head coach David Thorn.  "I am very proud of the team for gutting it out and earning the win against a strong Southeastern team.  We had strong performances across the board and did a good job slowing down their hitters."

The first set saw the Savage Storm (6-5, 1-2 GAC) jump out to an early 1-5 advantaged, but the Lady Tigers pushed back to get within one (5-6).  The teams then traded runs through the set, but ECU was never able to get closer than one point the rest of the way and Southeastern earned a 19-25 win.

The second set was close at the beginning with six ties and two lead changes.  The final tie came at seven-all when the Lady Tigers went on a 4-0 run for an 11-7 lead.  The back-and-forth battle resumed again, but ECU would not let the Savage Storm get closer than three points.  The Lady Tigers capped the set off with a 3-0 run late for the 25-17 win.

ECU took control of the third set with an early 6-2 lead.  The Lady Tigers pushed the lead out to 13-7, with a 5-2 run.  Southeastern kept battling and, despite ECU earning a 21-12 lead, made a final push.  The Savage Storm went on a 1-6 run to cut the lead to 22-18.  However, the Lady Tigers fought back and earned a 25-19 win.

The fourth set was again close at the start and again ECU was the first to push ahead.  After a six-all tie, the Lady Tigers went on a 6-1 run for a five-point lead (12-7).  ECU pushed the advantage out to seven (16-9), but the Savage Storm slowly cut the lead back to two points (20-18). 

After a timeout senior Sarah Simpson sparked a 3-0 run by the Lady Tigers with a kill.  Southeastern then earned the next three points, but again a kill by Simpson sparked ECU on the needed 2-0 run for the 25-21 win.

The Lady Tigers earned the win in almost every statistical category, with the biggest advantages coming in hitting percentage and blocking.  ECU hit .213 (56k-23e-155ta) to a .101 (38k-23e-148ta) mark from Southeastern.  The Lady Tigers also tallied six total blocks (1-10) to six total blocks (3-3) by Southeastern, but the Savage Storm also added four blocking errors to zero by ECU.

The Lady Tigers will continue their GAC action, Tuesday, Oct. 1 when they host Northwestern Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. at the Kerr Activities Center.  The match is the first home event during Homecoming week for the Tigers.