MARSHALL, Texas - Competing in their first road American Southwest Conference doubleheader of the season, the #21 East Texas Baptist University volleyball team emerged with a sweep over Louisiana College winning, 3-1, and 3-2. The two wins put ETBU's undefeated start at 5-0.

ETBU started the day with a four-set game one victory, 25-17, 25-7, 24-26, 25-20. Allie Fennell and Annie Harris each recorded 12 kills to lead the Tigers. Claire Johnson (27 assists) and Laney Smith (14 assists) combined for 41 assists while Lillie Hill and Hope Shipp recorded 24 and 13 digs, respectively.

The second match would require five sets before ETBU emerged with the win, 25-21, 25-17, 16-25, 24-26, 15-8. Fennell finished with 10 kills while Johnson had 18 assists and Macy Guerrero dished out 15 assists. Hill (20 digs) and Jessica Williamson (10 digs) would combine for 30 digs between them.
 

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Game 1: ETBU 3, LC 1 (25-17, 25-7, 24-26, 25-20)

ETBU started with an 8-4 lead in the first set from errors by the Wildcats. LC, though, who would cut the margin to three, 9-6. The score stayed tight until 13-9 when Bailey O'Bannon started a 7-1 run with a pair of kills. Harris would add a kill and a service ace, making it 20-10. LC responded with a 6-2 rally to trail, 22-16. That would be the closest they would get as Harris finished off the first set with two more kills, 25-17.

Behind four kills, including two from Fennell, the Tigers raced to a 13-1 lead and would never let LC into set two. All the Wildcats could do was bring the score to as close as 18-5. Yet, ETBU's barrage would keep going as they would deliver a strong finish winning the second set, 25-7.

It seemed as the third set began that ETBU's momentum would carry on from set two as they jolted out to a 6-0 lead. But a 9-3 surge by the Wildcats would turn the tide in their favor and set up both teams exchanging points. Each team would score 10 points to make it 19-19 before LC tallied three straight points to lead, 22-19. ETBU answered back with four straight only to give up two points to trail, 24-23. Despite a set-extending kill from Shipp, the Tigers couldn't stop two straight LC points as the Wildcats got on the board with their first set, 26-24.

The fourth set started with four straight Tiger points while LC answered back coming within one, 5-4. With neither side taking control, the score reached a 12-12 tie. That was when ETBU ran off six straight points, including three Fennell kills for an 18-12 lead. LC would chip away at the margin and to within four, 22-18. Yet, the Tigers would finish with the final points to preserve the first win, 25-20.
 

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Game 2: ETBU 3, LC 2 (25-21, 25-17, 16-25, 24-26, 15-8)

ETBU would have the early momentum in the first set to lead, 8-4, before the Wildcats would answer with eight of the next 13 points to cut the deficit to 13-12. The margin stayed at one for the next six points before LC errors allowed ETBU to push the lead to 20-16 following an Ainsley Reeve service ace. LC would manage to trim the lead to two points, twice, at 21-19 and 23-21. But the Tigers would get a Harris kill and a Wildcat attack error to secure the first set win, 25-21.

In the first 14 points of the second set, each side would obtain seven. A Guerrero kill would then ignite a 10-4 run which include service aces from Harris and Shipp as the Tigers led 17-11. The Wildcats would cut the margin to 17-13 with their powerful kills. However, a 7-2 Tiger run, that saw O'Bannon and Rainey combine for four kills, would put the set out of reach as ETBU went up 2-0 after the 25-17 win.

Down two sets, LC would explode in the third set with eight of the first 11 points. ETBU would answer with a 6-1 run that saw Shipp pick up back-to-back kills to tie the score at nine. After splitting the next 10 points, the set was tied at 13-13. But that was when the Wildcats took command with a 12-3 run to end the third set with a 25-16 win.

After falling behind 5-3 in the fourth set, ETBU's Williamson would spark a seven-point rally with a pair of service aces to go up 10-5. LC would then have their own run and knotted the score at 13. Down 15-14, the Tigers appeared to have control with five straight points to lead 19-15. Yet, the Wildcats would come up with an 8-2 run to go up 23-21. Reeve would then tie the score and Shipp put the Tigers at match point only for LC to steal the set with three unanswered points and a 26-24 win.

Both sides would start the fifth set exchanging points making it, 5-5, through 10 serves. Needing a spark, Rainey would come up with three straight kills for ETBU, which was part of five straight points to lead 10-5. LC would manage to pull within two, 10-8, before the Tigers took back momentum and ran to a 15-8 fifth set final.

ETBU's next ASC doubleheader will be this coming Tuesday against Texas Dallas in Richardson, Texas. The first match will start at 4:30 PM.