ADA, Okla. – The East Central University volleyball team battled Oklahoma Baptist University in a competitive Great American Conference matchup Thursday night inside the Kerr Activities Center, but the Tigers were unable to maintain their momentum late as the Bison earned a 3-1 victory by scores of 23-25, 29-27, 17-25 and 21-25.
With the loss, ECU moves to 1-4 in Great American Conference play and 5-11 overall. The Tigers will take a break from GAC play when they travel to Tahlequah on Tuesday, Sept. 29, to take on Northeastern State University.
ECU and Oklahoma Baptist traded points throughout the opening set, with neither team able to create much separation. The Tigers trailed 24-20 late but fought off three straight set points to pull within 24-23. OBU answered with a kill on the next point to take the opener, 25-23.
The Tigers responded in the second set, again battling through a back-and-forth start before using a 7-1 run to take a 17-11 lead. Kills from
Addison Iman and
Jada Faulkner helped fuel the run as ECU built its largest lead of the set. The Bison battled back to force extra points, taking a 27-26 advantage, but the Tigers answered with back-to-back kills from Iman and
Lana Wright to secure a 29-27 win and even the match at 1-1.
After the back-and-forth second set, Oklahoma Baptist regained control in the third, using a late run to build a lead as large as eight points. ECU was held to eight kills and recorded its lowest hitting percentage of the match in the set as the Bison claimed a 25-17 win.
The Tigers continued to battle in the fourth, taking a 10-8 lead after a service ace from
Gabriela Etter. OBU responded with a 7-1 run to take a 15-11 advantage, but ECU continued to fight and pulled within 23-21 late. The Bison then closed out the match with a kill and a service ace to take the set, 25-21.
Despite the loss, ECU held advantages in several offensive categories, finishing with 55 kills to Oklahoma Baptist's 49. The Tigers also held the edge in assists, 47-41, and digs, 99-88.
Addison Iman led the Tigers offensively with 22 kills, while
Jada Faulkner added a career-high 11 kills while hitting an impressive .556.
Emily Pena recorded 38 assists and 20 digs for a double-double, while
Bryleigh Wallace also finished with 20 digs.
Reagan Hutchinson and
Lana Wright each added seven kills, with Hutchinson contributing 15 digs.
Gabriela Etter recorded a team-high four service aces, while Faulkner added four blocks.
