ADA, Okla. – East Central University volleyball opened Thursday's rivalry matchup against Southeastern Oklahoma State with a first-set victory inside a packed Kerr Activities Center but was unable to carry the momentum through the remainder of the match, falling 3-1 to the Savage Storm.
The Tigers (10-17, 5-9 GAC) looked to complete the season sweep after defeating Southeastern (13-14, 7-7 GAC) on the road in Durant in September. ECU came out strong in the opening set, edging the Savage Storm 26-24 after a late comeback. Trailing 24-22, the Tigers rallied for four consecutive points, capped by a service ace from
Bryleigh Wallace, to take the opening set. ECU was at its best offensively in the first, recording 18 kills while hitting .424.
Southeastern answered in the second set, earning a 25-20 win to even the match. The Savage Storm continued to build momentum in the third, using an efficient offensive effort to take a 25-16 decision and move ahead 2-1. ECU looked to respond in the fourth but was unable to regain its early momentum, as Southeastern closed out the match with a 25-15 victory to claim the 3-1 win.
The two teams finished with nearly identical offensive production, as ECU held slight advantages in kills (52-51), assists (45-44) and service aces (6-4), while Southeastern recorded more blocks (8-6) and digs (75-62). However, unforced errors proved costly for the Tigers, who committed 25 hitting errors compared to Southeastern's 12, along with 16 service errors and seven blocking errors.
Addison Iman led the Tigers offensively with 26 kills and 16 digs for an impressive double-double performance, while
Faiana Halatoa added eight kills and
Lana Wright contributed six kills on a team-best .357 hitting percentage.
Emily Pena directed the ECU offense with 31 assists while
Tatum Flemming added 11. Defensively,
Breana Timms led the Tigers with 12 digs, followed closely by
Bryleigh Wallace with 11.
With the regular season entering its final week, ECU will have two crucial conference matchups remaining as it looks to close out GAC play. The Tigers return to the Kerr Activities Center on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to host Southern Nazarene University for Senior Night in their final home match of the season at 6 pm.
