RICHARDSON, Texas – In dominating fashion, East Texas Baptist University swept McMurry University in the first round of the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament, 25-4, 25-13, 25-19. ETBU is now 19-6 and will now face #2 seed University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
"We knew we were going to have a lot of energy tonight. We talked about being fully present and enjoying the moment and I think we did just that. I think all 21 of our kids contributed tonight on and off the court as that was big reason why we were victorious tonight," says head coach Mallory Matthews.
ETBU had one of their best hitting percentages of the year at .482 recording 43 kills and just three errors. Avery Reid hit .682 with 16 kills and only one attack error on 22 attempts. Graycee Mosley finished with 10 kills while Lexi Moody had 36 assists and Lillie Hill 16 digs.
In their best set of the year, ETBU only allowed four points in set one hitting 57.1 percent as McMurry recorded just two kills. McMurry tied the game at one to start the set but then ETBU scored six straight for a 7-1 lead on a Kristin Kruger kill. After McMurry scored their second point, ETBU added four more ending on a Reid kill for a nine-point lead, 11-2. An ETBU service error gave McM their third point (11-3) but ETBU reeled off 11 straight points to make it 22-3. ETBU had an attack error for the fourth McM point as Tigers then scored the final three points on a McMurry service error, a Reid kill, and a McKenzie Mansell service ace.
Set two was a little closer at the beginning as ETBU took a 6-2 lead on a Moody service ace. McM cut the lead to three on a kill but three more points for ETBU off a kill and two McM attack errors made it, 9-3. Mansell had another service ace for a 14-5 lead and then a Mosley kill put ETBU up by 10, 16-6. ETBU cruised to a 21-9 lead on a Mosley service ace and then Reid finished off set two with a kill, 25-13, as ETBU went up, 2-0.
Once again, ETBU took a four-point lead to start the set, 5-1 on four straight points with a kill from Hannah Perry and Kruger and two McM errors. ETBU pushed the lead to 11-5 on another McMurry error and then Moody's service ace made it 17-8. ETBU was up, 24-16, on a Perry service ace, but McM scored three straight points to pull within five, 24-19. Mosley ended any threat of a comeback with her 10th kill of the match as ETBU swept the Warkhawks, 3-0.
It is the first win for ETBU in the ASC Tournament since 2017 as their overall record in the championship tournament is now 24-23. They will face Mary Hardin-Baylor on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in the semi-final.
