MARSHALL, Texas - Returning back to the "O" after a Highway 80 win, the East Texas Baptist University Volleyball team defeated Southwestern University in a close five-set match, 24-26, 25-16, 22-25, 25-14, 15-5. ETBU is now 18-3 overall and remains undefeated at home, 9-0. 

The Tigers finished with 67 kills, hitting .226 overall, while holding the Pirates to hitting .133. Graycee Mosley, Avery Reid, and McKenzie Mansell had Marshall seeing twos, each recording a double-double. Mosley led the team with 22 kills, putting up 18 digs, followed by Reid with 18 kills and 10 digs. Mansell saw double-digits with 11 assists and 12 digs. A notable mention at the net was Rachel Spicer, recording 10 kills and six block assists. Anita Hancock was no stranger to defense at the net, also putting up six block assists. Sydney Temple led the Tigers with 30 assists, and Lillie Hill led with 27 digs. 

The match began with SWU taking an early five-point lead, 8-3. The Tigers retaliated, tying the set at eight with a kill by Mosley and double blocks by Hancock and Reid. SWU took back the lead, 11-9, but kills by Mosley and Spicer tied the score once again, 11-11. The Pirates regained a four-point lead, 15-11. ETBU put up a fight, narrowing the Pirate lead to one with kills by Reid, Spicer, and Mosley, and service aces by Hill and Mansell, 17-16. The game stayed close with ETBU tying the score once again, 23-23, after back-to-back kills by Reid. ETBU took the lead and made set-point, 24-23, but the Pirates ultimately took set one 26-24. 

ETBU came into the second looking for redemption with a .344 hitting percentage. The Tigers began with a 4-1 lead consisting of kills by Reid and Mosley, both from Temple, and aces by Reid and Hill. ETBU raised the lead to six after an ace by Mosley, 9-3. SWU lowered the lead 9-5, but it was short-lived as a Pirate service error and a kill by Reid from Lexi Moody gave back the six-point advantage, 11-5. Hancock added another ace to the Tiger stat-book, 12-5. The Tigers had a run including another Hill ace, and kills by Spicer and Mosley, taking the lead 19-10. Reid brought a kill to give ETBU a double-digit buffer, 13-23. SWU put up a fight, but ETBU took the second 25-16 on a Pirate attack error. 

The third set stayed close, with the score tying ten times. ETBU opened the set going 3-1 with a kill by Reid and an ace by Temple. The set was tight, tying the score to five, before SWU took the lead 8-5. A kill by Reid tied the set at 11-11, taking the
lead after a block by Reid and Spicer, 12-11. The set stayed tied to 15, with ETBU taking the lead after a Hancock and Spicer block, 16-15. Mosley continued the Tiger advantage with a kill from Temple, 17-15. Kills by Hancock and Mosley brought the ETBU lead to three, 19-16. The Pirates closed in, tying the game at 21. Reid tied the set at 22, but SWU took the third 25-22. 

ETBU came into the fourth hot with a 6-0 start, consisting of kills by Mosley, Hannah Perry, and Spicer. The Pirates put points on the board, but could not keep up with the Tiger offense put up by Spicer and Perry, 8-4. Moody and Hancock put up a block, taking the score 9-4. ETBU took a seven-point lead after a kill by Mosley from Moody, 11-4. The Tiger advantage continued to 20-11 with blocks by Perry, Spicer, Perry, and Hancock, as well as kills by Mosley. ETBU created a ten point buffer with an ace by Mosley, 22-12. The Tigers took the fourth with a kill by Reid from Mansell, 25-14. 

In the final set of the match ETBU had their best attack percentage, hitting .458 in the fifth. Reid and Hancock led the offense this set, giving three and four kills each, respectively. Reid opened with a kill, followed by a service ace by Temple, 2-0. Reid and Perry would continue with a kill each, taking a four to nothing lead. Another kill by Reid would bring the score 6-0, followed by a Pirate setting error to give the Tigers a seven point advantage. SWU put two on the board, but Temple put up a kill, ending the run before it could start, 8-2. Mosley put double-digits on the board with a kill from Temple, 10-3. After an SWU kill, Hancock returned with back-to-back kills, 11-4. After Moody recorded a kill of her own, Hancock gave ETBU a ten-point advantage and set match-point. Hancock put up her fourth and final kill to end the set, 15-5. 

ETBU will play again Tuesday, October 24th, at 7:00 pm in Sherman, Texas against Austin College.