ABILENE, Texas – Fighting for the third place seed in the upcoming American Southwest Conference Volleyball Tournament, East Texas Baptist University held off Hardin Simmons University in a tight five set match, 25-20, 25-22, 17-25, 20-25, 16-14. ETU is now 18-6 overall and 10-6 in the ASC finishing in third place.
 
Leading ETBU was Graycee Mosley with a double-double of 27 kills and 19 digs followed by Avery Reid with 23 kills. Lexi Moody recorded 56 assists, Lillie Hill had 22 digs, and Hannah Perry add five blocks. Mosley joined the 400 kills in a season club with 427 kills this season. This is the first time since 2008 that a player has completed over 400 kills in a season. Joining Mosley in the record book is Hill in the 500 dig club recording 515. Hill is the first to complete 500 digs in a season since 2013. 
 
Both teams came into the first set strong, tying the score 14 times with eight lead changes. Kills by Reid and Mosley set the score at 5-4. Reid tied the score at six and seven with kills from Moody, followed by a kill by Mosley tying the set at 10. ETBU took the lead, 17-15, with a kill by Reid from Hill. Perry brought the score to 21-18 on a kill from Moody. The set ended on a kill by Mosley, 25-20. 
 
The Cowgirls began the second set with a two-point lead, 4-2. ETBU tied the score at five and took the lead with back-to-back kills by Reid, 6-5. HSU tied the score at nine, before ETBU regained the lead with a kill by Moody from Mosley. This set the Tigers into a run leading up to a six-point lead on a Mosley kill, 15-9. The Cowgirls retaliated, closing the gap to one, 19-18. A kill by Perry gave the Tigers a three-point lead and set up the set point, 24-22. The set was ended with a kill by Alexis Mack, 25-22. 
 
HSU led the third set early by three,, 5-2. The Tigers tied the set at five with a kill by Reid from Moody and took the lead, 6-5, with a kill by Mack. HSU was quick to take back the lead, 10-8. A service ace by Mosley brought the score down to one, 16-15. HSU kept the lead by five, though, 20-15. Kills by Perry and Kristin Kruger put ETBU within three, 20-17. The set ended in HSU's favor, 25-17. 
 
ETBU started the set with a kill by Mosley from Moody making it, 2-2. HSU had a run, leading to a seven-point lead, 10-3. Errors by the Cowgirls set the score gave ETBU two points to come within five, 10-5. Mosley completed back-to-back kills from Hill, bringing the score to 21-16 in favor of HSU. HSU then tied the match at two sets each, 25-20. 
 
ETBU began the fifth and final set with an early three-point lead on kills by Reid and Perry, 5-2. HSU came with a run, tying the set at seven and taking the lead by one, 8-7. A kill by Reid tied the set at eight. The Cowgirls continued their lead, 10-8, before ETBU would tie the set at 11 with a kill by Mosley. An ace by Mosley and kill by Reid gave the Tigers the two-point lead, 14-12, setting match point. HSU then tied the set at 14. ETBU finished off the set and won the match, 16-14, on a block by Perry and Reid. 
 
ETBU will play again Thursday, November 3rd, in the ASC Tournament. This will be the third straight year that ETBU is playing in the ASC tournament.