SHAWNEE, Okla. – East Central University volleyball wrapped up its 2026 Great American Conference regular-season schedule Thursday evening, traveling to Shawnee to take on top-ranked Oklahoma Baptist. The Tigers showed flashes of momentum throughout the match but were unable to push the contest to a fifth set, falling 3-1 to the Bisons with set scores of 25-20, 18-25, 25-18 and 25-16.
Despite the loss, the Tigers (11-18, 6-10 GAC) secured the eighth and final seed in next week's GAC Championship Tournament based on results from around the conference, keeping their season alive and earning a postseason opportunity.
ECU opened the match with a competitive first set, recording 12 kills. Oklahoma Baptist claimed the opening frame 25-20, but the Tigers responded with their strongest offensive performance of the night in the second set.
The Tigers found their rhythm offensively, posting another 12 kills while committing just three errors to hit .250. ECU pulled away to take the second set 25-18, evening the match at one set apiece.
Oklahoma Baptist regained control in the third set, taking a 25-18 decision before closing out the match with a 25-16 fourth-set victory.
The Tigers finished with 45 kills and 43 assists while collecting six service aces and eight blocks. Defensively, ECU recorded 98 digs, holding an advantage over the Bisons' 84. Oklahoma Baptist finished with 50 kills, 47 assists and 10 blocks.
Individually,
Addison Iman led the Tigers offensively with 14 kills while adding 16 digs for a double-double, while
Jaylani Evans followed with a career-high 12 kills and contributed 14 digs for her first double-double.
Lana Wright added six kills, while
Seran Eran recorded six kills on an efficient .294 hitting percentage in three sets of action.
Emily Pena paced the offense with 24 assists while also recording 25 digs for a double-double performance.
Breana Timms led the defensive effort with a career-high 26 digs. At the net,
Faiana Halatoa totaled four kills and four blocks, including one solo block and three block assists.
With the regular season complete, ECU now turns its attention to the GAC Championship Tournament in Enid, where the Tigers will face the same Oklahoma Baptist squad in a quarterfinal rematch. The Bisons earned the No. 1 seed after finishing the conference schedule 15-1 and will meet the Tigers at 3 p.m. next Wednesday.
