ADA, Okla. – In the first Great American Conference match of the 2021 season, the East Central University volleyball team battled through to a 3-2 (25-18, 18-25, 15-19, 22-25, 15-12) victory over Southern Nazarene at the Kerr Activities Center.
Scoring
- Set 1: 25-18
- The teams started out ready to fight, battling through 12 tie scores before a team got ahead by more than one
- The Tigers (3-8, 1-0 GAC) took the first 2-0 run at 13-all to claim control of the set
- ECU used a few small runs throughout the remaining points to keep control
- Set 2: 18-25
- The Crimson Storm (4-3, 0-1 GAC) took an early 4-1 advantage in the second set
- The Tigers fought back and tied the set at 7
- SNU then used a 3-0 run to get the momentum back on its side
- ECU got back within one several times, but could not get closer
- Set 3: 25-19
- The scores toggled back-and-forth for the first 14 serves, for a 7-all tie
- ECU then used an 8-1 run to gain the advantage
- The Crimson Storm were only able to get as close as five the rest of the set
- Set 4: 22-25
- The set saw 11 tie scores and 9 lead changes before a winner could be determined
- After an 8-8 tie, the Tigers went up by two and held it until SNU forced at tie at 14
- The Crimson Storm then broke the tie and took a two-point lead
- The Tigers tied the set at 18 and the battle for control continued until a 22-22 score
- SNU then took the final three points to force the fifth set
- Set 5: 15-12
- The teams traded the first four serves
- ECU then gained a 5-3 lead before the set was knotted at 5
- The teams again traded the next four serves, before a team took over for good
- The Tigers used a 3-0 run to gain the needed advantage and never let SNU get closer than one (10-9) the rest of the set
Tiger Quick Hits
- The match was the first official home event of the 2021 Homecoming Weekend
- This was the third-straight win for ECU this season
- The fourth-straight win over SNU in the all-time series
- The Tigers set the No. 10 mark for Hitting Pct. in a five-set match and No. 5 in a five-set match at the Kerr Activities Center
- Fr. Leah Lawson claimed her second double-double of the season
- Fr. Emma Strickland led a trio of players with double-digit kill totals
- Strickland: 17 kills, .341 (17k-3e-41ta) hitting pct., 1 service ace, 3 (1-2) blocks, 8 digs
- Jr. Nyah Walker: 11 kills, .208 (11k-6e-24ta) hitting pct., 1 assist, 1 dig
- Jr. Ilani Myers: 10 kills, .247 (10k-3e-29ta) hitting pct., 3 digs
- Sr. Alejandra Delgado led a group of three with double-digit digs
- Delgado: 18 digs, 2 assists
- RJr. Thalianette Garcia: 10 digs, 9 kills, 3 assists, 1 service ace, 1 block assist
- RSr. Sydney Dungen moved up to the No. 2 spot on the ECU Career Assists Top-10 List
- No. 2 – 2,318
- Passed Taylor Turner (2014-17) -2,314
- 510 away from No. 1 Shayla May (2008-11) – 2,828
Up Next
- ECU will now be off until Tuesday, Sept. 21 when they travel to face Oklahoma Baptist at 7 p.m.
- First road GAC match of the year
- The Tigers will then wrap up the week at home
- Friday, Sept. 24 vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State – 6 p.m.
