MARSHALL, Texas – After splitting the first two sets, the East Texas Baptist University volleyball team would grab control of the next two sets taking a four-set win over LeTourneau University, 25-20, 19-25, 25-19, 25-14. ETBU opens up American Southwest Conference East Division play at 1-0 and is now 7-3 on the season.
 
ETBU was led by 13 kills from Kennedy Peacock and seven from Bailey Byas. Cassidy Zellmer (15 assists) and Meredith Augsburger (12 assists) topped the assists lead while Savannah Stanley and Sydney Lopez finished in the top two with 17 and 11 digs respectively. LETU had Kianna Crow finish with a double-double (16 kills, 14 digs) and Natalie Davenport tally 33 assists to lead the way.
 
ETBU finished with a .242 hitting percentage in contrast to .181 by LETU. They also finished with 61 digs, eight blocks, and 46 kills.
 
The Yellow Jackets stormed out to an early, 8-2, lead in set one. ETBU would get a rally of nine straight points starting with a Peacock kill and ending with a mistake by LETU as the Tigers led 11-8. This lead would be escalated to 19-14 only for the Yellow Jackets to cut the margin to 20-19. Zellmer would get a big kill that ignited ETBU to finish with a 5-1 surge to take the first set 25-20.
 
Set two would be a back-and-forth struggle as neither team would grab control of the match. ETBU would have an early 5-2 lead before LETU would flip the score to lead, 12-8. After three points to trail, 12-11, ETBU and LETU would exchange points to 15-14 in LETU's favor. But the difference in this set would happen as the Yellow Jackets ran off five straight points to go up 20-14. This margin stayed the same with LETU evening the match at one set apiece, 25-19.
 
Scoring two points each to begin set three, ETBU would go up for good with a 5-1 run putting the up, 7-3. LETU managed to get the score down to two, 12-10, but a kill from Lopez set up a 5-2 run that ended with Peacock's kill and a 17-12 ETBU lead. The resilient Yellow Jackets would bring the score to three at 19-16. However, ETBU would get clutch kills by Byas and Nicole Sands on their way to a set three win of 25-19.
 
ETBU would carry the momentum into the fourth set as three kills by Lopez, Peacock, and Allie Fennell started their run of six straight at the start. A 5-2 LETU run would be the closest they would get as ETBU responded with eight of the next ten points to lead 15-7 including two kills from Peacock. ETBU then would run off with momentum as Peacock carried the Tigers with three kills while both Byas and Annie Harris had two kills to put an end to the match, 25-14, with the set four win.
 
ETBU will return home this Friday at 6:00 PM as they face the University of Texas Dallas in ASC East play.