MARSHALL, Texas – Participating in their 16^th American Southwest Conference Tournament, the East Texas Baptist University volleyball team will take on Concordia University Texas on Thursday, Nov. 2 in Richardson, Texas. ETBU ended the season with an overall record of 12-17 and an 8-8 record in ASC play. The Tigers finished the year winning four of their last five matches, including winning an impressive 11 straight sets. ETBU is 22-17 in the ASC Tournament, coming away with three consecutive titles in 2001, 2002, and 2003.

In the overall matchup with Concordia, ETBU holds the competitive edge, going 7-1 in the previous eight matches thus far. When these two teams last met in the postseason tournament, the Tigers came away with the win in four sets (3-1). The Tornados have only had five appearances in the ASC Tournament, recording a 6-8 record in the postseason. Concordia last won a title in 1999, defeating Schreiner University in a 3-0 sweep. The Tornados finished the season at 15-12 and 10-6 in ASC matches. During the regular season, Concordia had the upper hand against ETBU, notching a 3-0 victory in the ASC Crossover at LeTourneau University.  

Turning in another strong season for ETBU is Paige Miller. Coming into the ASC Tournament, the junior leads the team in kills (254) and 2.4 kills per set. She managed a season-best 20 kills against Puget Sound on Sept. 8. Miller also leads in service aces and digs at 43 and 380. Karina Lay is close behind Miller in digs, with 366 on the season. Elyse Shaw has been the primary setter for the Tigers, finishing the season with a total of 562 assists to the lead the team. Shaw dished out a season-high 34 assists against Centenary College (La.) on Sept. 5. Meredith Augsburger sits in second place in assists, at 341 for the season. Manning the defensive effort for ETBU is Bailey Byas, with 61 blocks on the season. The sophomore had a season-high three blocks against the University of Texas Tyler on Oct. 24.

Heading into her second tournament berth at the helm, head coach Keely Peterson talks about the team's mindset going into the matchup with Concordia University on Thursday.
"Making the conference tournament is an expectation for us. It doesn't really matter across the board. The score is 0-0, so anything can happen. We're really capable of doing great things in this year's tournament. We are really excited to face Concordia again, "Peterson said.

ETBU will start tournament play on Thursday, Nov. 2 in Richardson, Texas, at 2:30 p.m.