MARSHALL, Texas – Hoping to avenge an earlier loss to LeTourneau University, the East Texas Baptist University volleyball team bounced back in a big way taking down the Yellowjackets, 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-21) at Ornelas Gymnasium. With the American Southwest Conference win, ETBU improves to 13-13 overall and 7-7 in ASC matches this year. With the win, ETBU will be the #2 seed from the ASC East Division in the post season tournament that starts next weekend.

Lindsey Hill led the Tigers on offense collecting 12 kills and Sydney Lopez added nine of her own along with two service aces. Cassidy Zellmer paced the offense with 22 assists while Karina Lay manned the defense with 20 digs to go along with 15 from Savannah Stanley. Kianna Crow and Mikayla Thomas led the Yellowjackets with seven kills each.

Natalie Connelly scored the game's first point, executing a kill off the feed from Sydney Spillers for the 1-0 lead. Natalie Coburn responded with a kill of her own off a Zellmer assist to square the game at 1-1. Several back and forth exchanges would have the game tied once again at 4-4, before two kills by Lopez and Lay put ETBU on top 6-4.
After an error by the Tigers, LETU would take their largest lead of the set, at 13-10. Kills by Hill and Lopez capped off a run of eight straight points by the Tigers to take an 18-13 lead over the next few exchanges. ETBU went on to outscore the Yellowjackets 7-6 to close out the set with the 25-19 victory.

The second set proved to be just as competitive as the first with Crow tying the set 3-3 in the early going. The score remained tied at 5-5 before Allison Sevening punched home a kill off the set up by Elyse Shaw, giving the Tigers the 6-5 advantage. LETU would tie the match at 8-8 before the Tigers embarked on a 10-3 run, increasing the lead to 18-11. Paige Miller had the final say in the set, recording a kill on the final exchange to give ETBU the one-sided 25-13 win.

LETU looked to stay alive at the start of set three. The Yellowjackets jumped out to a 4-1 lead following an attack error by Flores. A service ace by the Yellowjackets gave the Tigers their first lead of the set, at 7-6. LETU would cling to a one point lead until yet another kill by Hill knotted the game at 15-15.

Through the next several exchanges, the game was tied at 20-20 in the waning moments of the set. A clutch kill by Miller gave ETBU the 21-20 lead but it was quickly answered with a kill by Thomas to square the game at 21-21. The Tigers went on to rattle off four consecutive points, which was sealed with one last kill form Hill to give ETBU the 25-21 set win to complete the sweep.

The Tigers will travel to Conway, Ark., to compete in the Conway Classic on Saturday, Oct. 27.