ADA – The East Central University volleyball team will start the 2017 season this weekend with four matches at the Washburn Invitational in Topeka, Kan. The Tigers will start with two matches Friday, Sept. 1 against Missouri-St. Louis (11 a.m.) and Washburn (7 p.m.). The tournament will wrap up Saturday, Sept. 2 with matches against Pittsburg State (9 a.m.) and Drury (1:30 p.m.).
ECU is coming off a 2016 season when they went 7-23 overall and 3-13 mark in the Great American Conference. While the final results may be close to the same as the year before, the Tigers battled stronger in 2017 under first-year head coach
Melissa Anderson.
The Tigers will return seven players (all seniors) from the 2016 team and will be adding 10 to the 2017 roster. Of the returners, four are starters including the libero
Lily Porsa.
ECU will also return its setter,
Taylor Turner, who is just 1,004 assists away from taking over the No. 1 spot on the ECU career charts. The current No. 1 spot in assists is Shayla May, with 2,828.
The other returning starters are right side
Alex Campbell and middle blocker
Madeline Mayer.
Missouri-St. Louis finished 18-12 a season ago, their best effort since 2011, and have been picked to finish second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Central Division for 2017. The Tritons return six starters, including four hitters, a setter and libero.
This will be the first meeting between the Tigers and the Tritons since ECU started the program in 2008.
The host Ichabods, are hosting a tournament for the third-straight season, with this being the first time the ECU has been invited. Washburn has nine returners and finished 28-6 overall and 16-2 in the MIAA, which has led them to be ranked No. 16 in the AVCA Coaches' Preseason Poll.
This will be the fifth meeting in the all-time series with the Ichabods, with the Tigers trailing 0-4. The teams have met three times on a neutral court and just once at Lee Arena.
Pittsburg State finished the 2016 season with a 6-24 overall and 4-14 mark in the MIAA, The Gorillas return 10 players and lost eight from last season, including four returning starters.
Pitt State and ECU have met three previous times, all on neutral courts. However, the Tigers have fallen in all three matches, with the latest being during the 2014 season.
Drury finished 20-12 overall and 11-7 in the GLVC in 2016 and were picked to finish third in the West Division of the GLVC in 2017. The Panthers return seven players, with eight newcomers, which includes three starters from 2016.
The meeting will be just the second in the all-time series with Drury, with the Tigers holding a 1-0 advantage. The teams met on a neutral court in 2012.
