ADA, Okla. – The East Central University volleyball team made a quick trip to Durant, Oklahoma to take on Southwest Baptist University for another nonconference matchup, with ECU pulling off a thrilling five-set win in reverse sweep fashion on Saturday.
 
"After we went down 0-2, we decided as a team who we wanted to be and how important it is to finish when the opportunity is there," said Head Coach Danielle Essix. "It was awesome to see how we played in the following sets. We showed that we have what it takes and the resilience to finish."
 
The Tigers had a challenging start to the match as the Bearcats captured the first two sets to put ECU down 2-0.
 
The opening set saw both teams trading points until SBU went on a 5-1 scoring run when the game was knotted six-all to take the first true lead of the game at 11-7. ECU worked its way to trail 17-14, but the Bearcats powered through, scoring eight of the last nine points to clinch set one 25-15.
 
Set two was a much closer contest as neither side kept a lead larger than three points throughout the set. It was a back-and-forth battle, but ECU narrowly fell short, losing by a slim margin of 25-23.
 
The Tigers refused to lay down, though, and staged an impressive comeback.
 
Set three saw ECU surge ahead to an 8-4 lead before quickly extending it to 12-5. Although the Bearcats demonstrated great effort to close the gap to within one at 16-15, the Tigers exploded with a 9-1 scoring spree to take the set 25-16.
 
The fourth set was another close contest, but the Tigers remained in control. Down 24-19, the Bearcats managed to fight off two set points, but a final kill from Odalys Gonzalez settled the score 25-21 and forced a fifth set.
 
The deciding fifth set was a rollercoaster of emotions as SBU busted out of the gates with a 7-1 lead that put ECU in a tough position. However, the Tigers dug deep, gradually chipping away at the deficit knowing the game was not over yet. Trailing 10-6, ECU executed a six-point rally to take the lead one last time with all the momentum on their side. In the end, their determination paid off as they secured the 15-12 victory and the 3-2 match win.
 
Three Tigers reach double-digit kills – Emma Strickland, Odalys Gonzalez, and Ashleigh Miller. Offensive duo Strickland and Gonzalez led the way with an impressive 21 and 20 kills, respectively, while Miller came through with 10 kills. Setter Julia Kabala was one dig shy of a double-double, posting a season-high 54 assists to go with her nine digs. Libero Sydney Roshek took care of the defensive duties, tallying a career-high 35 digs.
 
ECU will return home to resume Great American Conference play with a matchup against Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 6 pm.