SEARCY, Ark. – The East Central University volleyball team opened its two-match Arkansas road trip Thursday night with a tough battle against Harding University, falling in straight sets (20-25, 19-25, 19-25) in Great American Conference action.
 
With the loss, ECU drops to 5-5 in GAC play, while Harding improves to 8-2. The Tigers will look to bounce back Friday when they face Arkansas Tech University at 4 p.m.
 
The Tigers came out strong in the opening set, jumping to a 6-0 lead behind the serving of Emily Pena, who recorded two aces during the run. But Harding responded with a rally of their own, evening the score at 10-10 before taking control at 15-11. ECU trailed 23-20 late, but the Lady Bisons closed out the set with back-to-back kills to win 25-20.
 
Set two was tightly contested, featuring 10 ties and three lead changes. After the teams were knotted at 10-10, Harding began to pull away, extending its lead to 19-13. The Tigers fought back with a 4-0 run to close within two at 21-19, but the Lady Bisons answered with four straight points to take the set 25-19.
 
Harding carried that momentum into the third set, opening with a 4-0 run and maintaining control throughout. The Lady Bisons built a 17-7 lead midway through, but ECU battled back to cut the deficit to 22-19 behind key kills and Harding miscues. However, a timeout settled the home team, who secured the sweep with a 25-19 victory.
 
Jayla Buford led ECU with six kills, followed by Faiana Halatoa with five. Emily Pena recorded 12 assists, while Valentina Tijerina anchored the defense with 14 digs.