ADA, Okla. – In a showdown that had fans on the edge of their seats, the East Central University volleyball team battled Southwestern Oklahoma State University for their second Great American Conference game of the 2023 season, dropping a close five-set heartbreaker in the Kerr Activities Center on Tuesday.
"I think we are right where we want to be and it is just a matter of finishing," Head Coach Danielle Essix said. "We are competing hard, I just think once we finish the play and earn those hustle points, we will get the outcome we want more consistently."
From the very first serve, it was clear that both teams were locked in a back-and-forth battle. Tied 7-7, SWOSU used some momentum to go on a 4-0 scoring run to lead 11-7. From there, they extended their advantage 17-11, then 19-14 before earning six of the last seven points to take the opening set 25-15.
After trailing 7-5 early in the second set, there was a resurgence from the Tigers as they jumped out to a 12-7 lead and maintained their control, increasing their lead to as much as 11 points. Despite a late push from the Bulldogs, ECU closed out the set with authority, winning 25-17.
Set three proved to be another contested battle with both teams taking turns trading points. SWOSU eventually began to separate themselves, taking an 18-14 lead, but ECU fought back, narrowing the gap to 21-19. But the Bulldogs pushed through to secure the set 25-20 and take the 2-1 lead in the match.
With their back against the wall, ECU came out firing as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead. SWOSU, however, responded back with six straight points of their own to knot the score six-all. The set remained a seesaw battle, with the score tying five more times until SWOSU found itself leading 23-22. ECU refused to back down, though, and dug deep to score the next three points to win 25-22 and force the fifth and deciding set.
Tensions were high in the final stanza with both teams fighting for the conference win. ECU came out strong taking a 5-2 lead, but SWOSU countered with a formidable 5-0 scoring run to go up 7-5. The Tigers roared back with a 4-0 run of their own to regain the lead 11-9 before going ahead 13-11. However, out of a SWOSU timeout, ECU's missed serve allowed the Bulldogs to regain momentum, earning the next three crucial points to lead 14-13. The Tigers fought off a set point to tie the game 14-14, but two final kills from the Bulldogs finalized the hard-fought 16-14 loss and 3-2 victory for SWOSU.
Emma Strickland and
Ashleigh Miller paced the offensive attack, with Strickland posting 21 kills and eight digs while Miller added 11 kills, four aces, and four total blocks.
Julia Kabala collected 45 assists and 10 digs for a double-double performance while
Sydney Roshek defended the back row with a team-high 22 digs.
ECU will be back in action on Thursday, Sept. 21 as they make a quick trip to Shawnee, Oklahoma to face Oklahoma Baptist University at 7 pm.
