DALLAS, Texas – The East Central University volleyball team closed out the final day of the Dallas Classic Tournament with a pair of hard-fought losses on Saturday, falling in four sets to St. Edward's University and in straight sets to Southwest Baptist University.
 
With the results, the Tigers fall to 0-4 on the weekend, showing glimpses of potential but still searching for their first win of the season. ECU will now shift focus to a non-conference road matchup at Cameron University on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m.
 
ECU 1, SEU 3 | (19-25, 26-24, 18-25, 21-25)
The Tigers took an early 4-1 lead to start their first match of the day, but the Hilltoppers quickly answered to level the score. From there, both teams would trade points, knotting the score four different times, until St. Edward's started to pull away after the 13-13 mark. ECU closed the gap to within two late in the set after a pair of kills from Jayla Buford and Paula Ramos, but the Hilltoppers held on to take the set 25-19.
 
In the second set, ECU came out strong and controlled the tempo throughout, building their largest lead at 20-10. The Tigers capitalized on multiple scoring runs and looked poised to finish the set comfortably. However, St. Edward's stormed back with a 5-0 run to tie things at 24-24. Emily Pena secured a crucial point to regain the lead, and Peyton Spahn delivered the final kill to give ECU the set win, 26-24.
 
Despite competitive starts in the third and fourth sets, ECU couldn't hold off the Hilltoppers down the stretch. The Tigers continued to push late in each frame but came up short, falling 25-18 in set three and 25-21 in set four.
 
Jayla Buford led the offense with nine kills, while Faiana Halatoa added eight and Peyton Spahn recorded seven kills. Emily Pena facilitated the attack with 22 assists, and Valentina Tijerina anchored the defense with 15 digs.
 
ECU 0, SBU 3 | (22-25, 26-28, 18-25)
In their final match of the tournament, the Tigers fell behind early as Southwest Baptist opened the first set with a commanding 14-5 lead. ECU found its rhythm midway through, sparked by a kill from Briley Marion that led to a 9-1 scoring run. The Tigers trimmed the deficit to just one at 23-22, but SBU closed the door to take the opening frame, 25-22.

The second set was a nail-biter throughout, featuring 12 ties, eight lead changes, and four set points. Neither team led by more than four points, but the Bearcats managed to edge out a 28-26 win, grabbing a 2-0 advantage in the match.
 
Determined to respond, ECU opened the third set on a 4-0 run, fueled by kills from Spahn and Halatoa and a pair of service aces from Buford. The Tigers held a 6-2 lead before the Bearcats evened the score and eventually pulled away with an 8-1 surge that made it 22-13. ECU was unable to recover, dropping the final set 25-18.
 
Peyton Spahn led the Tigers with a career-high eight kills, while Faiana Halatoa, Jayla Buford, and Kensington White each added seven. White also posted a team-best .500 hitting percentage with her efficient play at the net. Emily Pena finished with 13 assists, and Briley Marion contributed nine more as the two shared setting duties.