SAN ANGELO, Texas – The East Central University volleyball team wrapped up the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational hosted by Angelo State on Saturday, falling to Fort Lewis College before rallying for a thrilling five-set reverse sweep over UT Permian Basin in the final match of the tournament. The comeback victory gave the Tigers their first win of the 2026 season and allowed them to close out the weekend on a high note.
ECU will return to action at the SBU Invitational Sept. 4-5 in Bolivar, Missouri, before opening Great American Conference play on Sept. 8.
ECU vs. Fort Lewis | (23-25, 17-25, 18-25)
Set one featured a back-and-forth battle, with nine ties and three lead changes. After trailing 21-19, the Tigers responded with a 4-1 scoring run to take a 23-22 advantage, but the Skyhawks answered with three straight points to take the opening set, 25-23, and a 1-0 lead.
Fort Lewis carried the momentum into set two, opening with a 3-0 run and building a lead as large as eight points before taking the set, 25-17. The Tigers posted their best offensive performance of the match in the third set, hitting .242 as a team with 12 kills. After the score was tied at 18-18, however, the Skyhawks closed the match with a dominant 7-0 run to claim a 25-18 set victory and complete the sweep.
Peyton Spahn and
Addison Iman led the Tigers offensively with eight and seven kills, respectively, while
Kensington White added four kills on six attempts for a team-best .500 hitting percentage.
Emily Pena recorded 22 assists, while
Jaylani Evans led the Tigers defensively with 11 digs.
ECU vs. UT Permian Basin | (13-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 17-15)
Game two saw the Tigers rally for a thrilling five-set comeback after falling behind 2-0. ECU dropped the opening set, 25-13, before falling 25-22 in set two.
With their backs against the wall, the Tigers came out firing in set three, using a series of scoring runs to build a 15-5 advantage, their largest lead of the tournament. Despite the Falcons battling back to pull within one at 24-23,
Emily Pena delivered the final kill to send the match to a fourth set.
The Tigers and Falcons continued to battle in set four, with Permian Basin taking a late 23-20 lead. ECU responded with a 5-0 scoring run behind the serving of
Gabriela Etter, who recorded two aces during the run, to close out the set, 25-23, and force a decisive fifth set.
ECU carried that momentum into the final set, jumping out to a 5-1 lead before the Falcons answered with a run of their own to tie the set at 5-5. The deciding set featured eight additional ties, with the final deadlock coming at 15-15. A Permian Basin service error gave the Tigers the advantage before another kill from Pena secured the 17-15 victory and ECU's first win of the season.
The Tigers received several standout performances in the comeback, led by
Seran Eran, who powered the offense with a career-high 15 kills. Freshmen
Addison Iman and
Reagan Hutchinson also recorded career highs with 11 kills apiece. At the net,
Lana Wright posted seven blocks to go with five kills, while
Jada Faulkner added three blocks and four kills in her first collegiate start.
Pena controlled the offense with 40 assists while adding a season-high 18 digs for her first double-double of the season. Etter anchored the back row with a career-high 24 digs at libero.
