ALVA, Okla. – The East Central University volleyball team opened Great American Conference play Tuesday night with a hard-fought road battle against Northwestern Oklahoma State University, but the Tigers ultimately fell 3-1 to the Rangers in Alva.
The Tigers will regroup before heading to Edmond, Okla., for their final non-conference tournament of the season at the GAC/MIAA Crossover, beginning Thursday, Sept. 10, against Pittsburg State.
ECU came out strong in the opening set, battling through a back-and-forth frame to earn a 28-26 victory. Northwestern responded in the second set, though, edging the Tigers 25-22 to even the match at 1-1.
The third set provided another tightly contested battle, with both teams trading points throughout. ECU fought off multiple opportunities by the Rangers but ultimately fell 30-28, giving Northwestern a 2-1 advantage.
The Tigers battled throughout the fourth set, trailing 13-11 before erupting for a 9-2 scoring run to build a 20-15 advantage. However, the Rangers chipped away at the deficit before using a late surge to regain the lead, scoring five of the final seven points to secure the 25-22 fourth-set victory and clinch the 3-1 match win.
Despite the loss, ECU finished with a 61-57 advantage in kills and recorded 80 digs compared to Northwestern's 82. The Tigers also posted six aces and seven blocks while hitting .163 as a team.
Freshman
Addison Iman led the Tigers offensively with a career-best 22 kills in four sets while hitting an impressive .356, and
Annabelle Nichter was next with a career-high 11 kills.
Lana Wright added eight kills while hitting .500, while
Peyton Spahn recorded seven kills on just 13 attacks for a .538 hitting percentage.
Tatum Flemming paced the ECU offense with 31 assists, while
Bryleigh Wallace led the defensive effort with 18 digs.
Reagan Hutchinson added 10 digs, while
Emily Pena contributed 11 digs and 21 assists for another double-double performance.
