MARSHALL, Texas – Reeling off three straight set wins after falling in set one, no. 9 East Texas Baptist University advanced to their second straight American Southwest Conference Championship match with a 3-1 (19-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-14) victory over the Yellow Jackets. ETBU is now 27-1 and won 26 straight matches in Ornelas Gym.
ETBU finished hitting .255 after starting slow at .118 percentage in the first set. They bounced back with a .400 hitting percentage in set two and posted a .313 percentage in set three. Finishing with 60 kills, ETBU posted 53 assists with 64 digs and three blocks. LETU hit just .119 with 22 attack errors and a negative .075 percentage in set four.
Mosley recorded her 19th double-double of the year and fifth in a row with 16 kills and 13 digs. Emily Millikin added 12 kills, hitting .500 with just two attack errors, as
Avery Reid recorded 10 kills.
Grace Williamson had nine kills and one block.
McKenzie Mansell had 29 assists and four serving aces, while
Lexi Moody added 21 assists.
Callie Humphrey led the team with 23 digs.
LETU used all their momentum and energy in set one for a 25-19 win. Down 5-4, they went on a 5-1 taking a three-point lead, 9-6. ETBU rallied back for an 11-10 lead on a Mansell service ace, but LETU scored four straight, making it 14-11. ETBU scored four in a row with kills from Millikin and
Emily Sitton to retake the lead, 17-15. LETU rallied with eight of the following nine points for a five-point advantage, 23-18. An ETBU service error and LETU service ace made it 25-19 as LETU took the early lead.
ETBU fired back, hitting .400 in set two with a 25-15 win. Tied at three, ETBU scored five of the following six points, making it 8-4, and Williamson had two kills. With a two-point lead, 9-7, ETBU went on a 6-1 run for the 14-8 advantage with another Millikan kill. Mosley then made it 17-11 on a kill, and Reid added a kill for the 21-14 lead. LETU scored one to pull within six, 21-15, but three straight kills, with two from Reid and one from Millikan, and a LETU error finished off the set as ETBU tied it at one.
It was a close set three as ETBU held onto a four-point win, 25-21. ETBU started with a 7-3 lead with kills from Mosley, Millikan, and Williamson. Williamson made it 10-6, but LETU tied the set at 11 due to an ETBU error. LETU battled ahead, 15-14, on a 4-3 run, but ETBU scored seven of the following eight points, retaking the lead by five, 21-16. Moody had two service aces in that run. LETU pulled within two, twice, 22-20 and 23-21, before a Yellow Jacket attack error and a Moody kill ended the set.
Hitting .313 in set four, ETBU ran away with a 25-14 win. LETU stayed close early within three, 9-6, but ETBU collected nine of the next 12 points, making it 18-9. LETU came back to within five, 19-14, but saw ETBU finish the match on a 6-0 run with two kills (Williamson, Millikan) and four LETU errors as the Tigers took the match.
ETBU will face Mary Hardin-Baylor in the ASC Tournament Championship match at 3:00 p.m.
