Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The East Central University volleyball team dropped two matches in the final day of the Rockhurst Classic, with a 0-3 (14-25, 16-25, 10-25) loss to Missouri Western State and a 0-3 (16-25, 20-25, 12-25) loss to Northwest Missouri State.

The Lady Tigers (0-4) were led by junior Sarah Simpson, who tallied 11 kills, five digs, one block assist and one service ace.  Sophomore Madison Seiler collected 33 assists and eight digs, while freshman Lily Porsa led the defense with 14 digs.

"We didn't get the results we wanted this weekend, but I saw continued improvement through each match," said head coach Dave Thorn.  "We are now turning our focus to our first conference game Tuesday against Southern Nazarene."

ECU will now return home to start a busy week in the Kerr Activities Center.  The Lady Tigers will first host Southern Nazarene, in the first Great American Conference match of the season, Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.  ECU will then host the second South Central Classic, Sept. 11-13.

Missouri Western 3, ECU 0
ECU fell in the opening match of the day 0-3 to Missouri Western.  The Lady Tigers were led by junior Sarah Simpson, who tallied six kills and one service ace.  Freshman Mackenzie Davis added five kills and a dig.

The teams traded the first eight serves in the opening set, resulting in a four-all tie.  However, that is when the Griffons started an 8-1 run to take control of the set.  MWSU kept pushing and didn't allow the Lady Tigers to score more than one point at a time on the way to a 14-25 win.

The next two sets were close to the same, with the Griffons jumping out to early leads and defending against ECU's defense well to earn 16-25 and 10-25 wins in sets two and three.

Northwest Missouri State 3, ECU 0
In the final match of the day, the Lady Tigers fell 0-3 (16-25, 20-25, 12-25) to Northwest Missouri State.  ECU was led by freshman Madyson Gill, who garnered eight kills, seven digs and one service ace.  Junior Hayley Gerken added seven kills, three blocks (1-2) and three digs.

In the opening set, the Bearcats (2-2) jumped out to an early 1-5 lead and had extended that out to 7-13 in the middle of the set.  ECU then used a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to two (11-13), including two straight blocks.  However, NWMSU kept fighting and used a few small runs to earn the 16-25 win.

The Lady Tigers fought hard at the start of the second set, forcing three ties through the first 12 serves.  However, that is when the Bearcats took over with an 8-2 run to take the lead for good on the way to the 20-25 win.

The final set saw NWMSU jump out early again and never look back.  The Lady Tigers fought hard, but were unable to get within four points for most of the set and fell 12-25.