DURANT, OKLA. – The East Central University volleyball team earned two five-set victories in the second day of the South Central Classic in Durant, Okla.  The Tigers (2-2) first earned a 3-2 (25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 16-25, 15-13) win over Union University and then a 3-2 (25-23, 11-25, 20-25, 25-17, 16-14) victory over Cameron.

ECU was paced by junior Madeline Mayer, who tallied a .304 (28k-7e-69ta) hitting percentage, seven (1-6) blocks, nine digs and two service aces.  Junior Alex Campbell added 25 kills, while junior Kaci Harrison netted 27 kills, 31 digs and four block assists.

Defensively, the Tigers saw six players with double-digit dig totals for the day, with junior Lily Porsa leading the way with 38.

ECU will now get ready for its second-straight tournament, Sept. 9-10.  The time will be split between Maryville, Mo., where the Tigers will face Northwest Missouri (Noon) and Rockhurst (3 p.m.), Friday, Sept. 9 and St. Joseph, Mo., where ECU will battle Missouri Western (9 a.m.) and Missouri S&T (3 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 10.

East Central 3, Union 2
The Tigers started the day strong, earning a 25-19 win in the opening set.  The teams traded the first six services before an 8-5 run gave Union an 8-11 advantage.  However, ECU pushed back and used a 7-0 run to regain the lead (15-11).  The Tigers kept up the pressure and used a few small runs through the rest of the set to earn the win.

ECU kept the momentum going on its side in set two, pulling out to an 8-4 lead.  ECU never let the Lady Bulldogs get more than two points in a row and pushed through for a 25-17 win.

The Tigers kept pushing at the start of the third set, jumping out to a 9-1 advantage.  However, in the middle of the set Union used several small runs to cut the deficit to two and then tie the match at 18.  ECU took the next two points, but it was a 6-0 run by the Lady Bulldogs that allowed them to take control and earn the 23-25 win.

Union took an early lead (3-6) in the fourth set and never let the Tigers gain any momentum, taking a 16-25 win and forcing the fifth-and-deciding set.

ECU came back fighting with a 3-0 lead in the fifth set.  The Lady Bulldogs kept things close, but could not get closer than a one-point deficit through the set, with ECU taking the set and match with a 15-13 victory.

East Central 3, Cameron 2
In the second match of the day, the Tigers got off to a slow start, trailing Cameron 3-7 in the opening set before a 7-0 run gave them a 10-7 advantage.  While the Aggies were able to tie the set at 10, ECU kept pushing the tempo and regained the lead with the next two points and never let up on the way to a 25-23 win.

Cameron then took back the momentum in the second set, using a 10-0 run in the middle to push through for an 11-25 win.

The Aggies again jumped out to an early lead in the third set, going up 6-11 and never let the Tigers get closer than four points the rest of the set on the way to a 20-25 win.

ECU would not go quietly, and jumped out to a 5-1 advantage in set four.  Cameron battled back and got within one (13-12), but the Tigers kept fighting and used several small runs through the set for the 25-17 win to force set five.

The fifth set was a back-and-forth battle right from the start with 12 tie scores and six lead changes that required extra points to settle.  The final tie came at 14-all, but a kill from Campbell and an attack error by Cameron gave ECU the 16-14 win.