TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The East Central University volleyball team took care of business Tuesday night, sweeping Northeastern State University, 3-0, in a nonconference matchup at the NSU Event Center by scores of 25-16, 25-13 and 25-11.
The matchup marked the first meeting between the Tigers and RiverHawks in program history, with Northeastern State competing in its inaugural season. ECU set the tone early, battling through a back-and-forth start before pulling away to take control of the opening set.
After the teams traded points early, the Tigers began to create separation at 18-15 and closed the set on a 7-0 run behind the serving of
Bryleigh Wallace to secure a 25-16 victory.
ECU carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early 5-0 lead before extending its advantage into double digits. The Tigers recorded 14 kills with just two errors while hitting .444, cruising to a 25-13 win and taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Tigers continued to pull away in the third, opening the set with an 11-3 advantage before putting the match out of reach. ECU committed no attack errors while recording 11 kills on 23 attempts for a .478 hitting percentage. The Tigers closed out the sweep with another 25-11 victory.
ECU controlled the match statistically from start to finish, finishing with 38 kills to Northeastern State's 25 and posting a season-best .381 hitting percentage. The Tigers also held advantages in assists (34-21), blocks (8-1) and aces (6-3), while the RiverHawks held a 33-27 edge in digs. ECU's offensive efficiency was also reflected in the attack-error margin, with the Tigers committing a season-low six errors compared to 28 for Northeastern State.
The night also marked a significant milestone for
Emily Pena, who surpassed 1,000 career assists to become the ninth player in ECU volleyball history to reach the mark. Pena entered the match with 986 career assists and added 25 in the sweep, bringing her career total to 1,011. She also contributed four digs in the victory.
Seran Eran paced the Tigers with nine kills without an error, hitting .474, while
Lana Wright added eight kills on 11 attempts for a .727 hitting percentage.
Jada Faulkner recorded five kills without an error while hitting .833 and added three blocks.
Reagan Hutchinson and
Addison Iman each contributed seven kills, with Hutchinson adding six digs. Wallace led the Tigers defensively with 12 digs.
ECU will return to Ada to resume Great American Conference play, hosting Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas on Thursday, Oct. 1, and Friday, Oct. 2, respectively, inside the Kerr Activities Center.
