ADA, Okla. – East Central University volleyball returned to its home court in dominant fashion Thursday night, sweeping rival Southeastern Oklahoma State University in straight sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-19) inside the Kerr Activities Center.
 
The Tigers bounced back from a tough road loss on Tuesday with their most efficient offensive performance of the season, improving to 2-1 in Great American Conference play and a perfect 2-0 at home. With the loss, Southeastern drops to 1-2 in conference action.
 
"A sweep over our rival is always special, but the way we did it is even better," said Head Coach Danielle Essix. "Point by point and set by set. We are continuing to grow every day. The win fuels our momentum as we continue to push forward in conference play."
 
"I thought we showed composure, discipline, and fight from start to finish, and I am proud of the way we defended our home court. Tonight was the result of trust, preparation, and relentless energy."
 
The Tigers set the tone early in a tightly contested first set that featured 12 ties and four lead changes. But with the score knotted at 22-22, ECU closed strong, capitalizing on a Southeastern error and two kills from Jayla Buford to take the opener 25-22.
 
Set two followed a similar script. After trading leads early, the teams found themselves tied at 14-14 before ECU ignited a 7-1 scoring run to gain control at 20-15. The Savage Storm attempted to rally, but a kill from Adelle McCormick and back-to-back finishes by Faiana Halatoa secured the 25-20 win and a 2-0 match lead.
 
Southeastern came out swinging in the third set, jumping to an early 4-0 lead. But ECU quickly flipped the momentum with a 7-0 run, boosted by two blocks from McCormick. The Savage Storm later responded with a 6-0 surge to lead 13-10, but another 7-1 ECU scoring run put the Tigers back on top, 17-14. Tied once more at 17-17, the Tigers fed off the energy of a packed Kerr Activities Center to close the door, winning eight of the final 10 points to complete the sweep.
 
ECU's offense saw contributions across the board. Jayla Buford led the Tigers with 16 kills and nine digs, while Faiana Halatoa added nine kills and 11 digs. Peyton Spahn chipped in seven kills, and freshmen Kensington White and Adelle McCormick made their presence felt at the net, combining for seven blocks and five kills apiece. McCormick led the team with an impressive .500 hitting percentage.
 
Emily Pena and Emma Greenier shared setting duties, dishing out 18 and 14 assists, respectively.
 
ECU will look to carry the momentum into next week as they return to the Kerr Activities Center on Tuesday, Sept. 30, to host Southern Nazarene University. First serve is set for 6 p.m.