ADA, Okla. – The East Central University volleyball team opened its home schedule Thursday night at the Kerr Activities Center, taking the opening set against Southwestern Oklahoma State University before the Bulldogs rallied to claim a 3-1 victory over the Tigers by scores of 25-19, 18-25, 21-25, and 12-25.
With the loss, ECU moves to 5-9 overall and 1-2 in Great American Conference play. The Tigers will return to action Tuesday, Sep. 22, traveling to Southern Nazarene University for a road matchup at 6 pm in Bethany.
ECU came out strong in front of its home crowd, hitting .316 in the opening set while recording 16 kills. The Tigers built an early advantage and led by as many as six points at 22-16 before closing out the set 25-19 to take a 1-0 lead.
Southwestern answered in the second set, though, using a .364 hitting percentage to take a 25-18 win and even the match. The Tigers were held to a .088 hitting percentage in the frame as the Bulldogs carried their momentum into the third set.
The third set remained closely contested, with ECU battling from behind throughout the frame. The Tigers stayed within striking distance late, trailing 23-20, but Southwestern held on for a 25-21 victory to take a 2-1 lead.
The Bulldogs carried that momentum into the fourth set, hitting .455 without committing an attack error. ECU struggled to regain its offensive rhythm, recording its lowest hitting percentage of the night as Southwestern closed out the match with a 25-12 victory.
ECU finished with 42 kills and 38 assists, matching SWOSU's 38 assists while trailing by just four kills. The Tigers also recorded 57 digs to the Bulldogs' 60 and hit .116 compared to SWOSU's .252. SWOSU held the edge in aces, 11-7, and blocks, 11-5.
Addison Iman led the Tigers with 10 kills, while
Lana Wright added nine kills and hit a team-best .500. Wright also recorded four aces and three blocks for 14.0 points.
Kensington White contributed nine kills while hitting .316, and
Emily Pena posted 29 assists and 11 digs for a double-double.
Breana Timms added 10 digs.
