BETHANY, Okla. – The East Central University volleyball team battled Southern Nazarene University through five sets Tuesday night in a back-and-forth Great American Conference matchup, but the Tigers came up just short as the Crimson Storm secured a 3-2 victory by scores of 25-23, 20-25, 21-25, 25-21 and 11-15.
With the loss, ECU moves to 1-3 in Great American Conference play. The Tigers return home Thursday, Sept. 24, to host Oklahoma Baptist University at 6 p.m. inside the Kerr Activities Center.
ECU opened the match with a strong first set, battling through several lead changes before SNU took a 15-12 advantage. The Tigers responded with a 5-0 run, highlighted by two service aces from
Gabriela Etter, to take a 17-15 lead. After SNU fought back to tie the set at 22-22, ECU closed with three of the final four points to claim the opener, 25-23.
The Tigers carried the momentum into the second set, jumping out to an 8-5 lead and extending the advantage to 12-7 behind two service aces from
Breana Timms. SNU answered with a 5-0 run to even the score at 12-12, and the teams remained within striking distance of each other until a 19-19 tie. The Crimson Storm then scored six straight points to take the set, 25-20.
ECU again grabbed an early lead in the third, going up 3-1 before SNU responded with a 6-0 run to take a 7-4 advantage. The Tigers battled back to even the score at 13-13 and again at 15-15, but SNU gained separation late and held on for a 25-21 win.
The Tigers answered in the fourth set, overcoming an early 9-7 deficit with an 8-1 run to take a 15-10 lead. SNU continued to battle and trimmed the margin to 22-19, but ECU answered with two kills from
Reagan Hutchinson to reach set point at 24-19. After the Crimson Storm cut the lead to 24-21, Hutchinson delivered the final kill to give the Tigers a 25-21 win and force a decisive fifth set.
The teams continued to trade momentum in the final frame, with the score tied six times through 8-8. ECU briefly took an 8-7 lead, but SNU answered with three straight points to move ahead 11-8. The Tigers stayed within reach, but the Crimson Storm closed out the match, 15-11.
The two teams finished within a narrow margin across nearly every major statistical category. SNU held slight advantages in kills (65-60), assists (60-59) and digs (109-108), while ECU led in aces (11-7) and blocks (6-5). Both teams finished with 77 points.
Hutchinson paced the Tigers with 17 kills and a career-high 24 digs for her third double-double of the season, while
Peyton Spahn added 13 kills.
Kensington White hit .313 with eight kills and three blocks, and
Lana Wright contributed eight kills and three blocks while hitting .261.
Emily Pena posted a double-double with a career-high 52 assists and 12 digs, while
Bryleigh Wallace matched Hutchinson with a career-high 24 digs. Etter recorded three aces and 18 digs, while Timms finished with 14 digs.
