SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Opening up the 2024 season with a sweep, East Texas Baptist University won 25-20, 25-22, 25-12 over the College of Saint Benedict at the Trinity University Fall Classic. ETBU is now 1-0 the year and will play two more matches on Saturday.
Trailing 7-5 in set one, CSB had a service error that started a 6-1 run, giving ETBU an 11-8 lead with a five-point run. ETBU had two blocks in the run and a kill by Pitts and Reid. CSB responded and took a 12-11 lead on a 4-0 run, only to see four straight points by ETBU. There were three kills and a service ace from Reid in the run for the 15-12 lead. CSB scored the next point, but ETBU had a five-point run again for a 20-13 advantage. Mosley had the first two kills in the run, and Moody and
Aubrey Wheelock also had kills. ETBU's lead was cut to two, 22-20, but kills from Reid and
Hannah Perry and a Hancock block ended the set, 25-20.
It was a back-and-forth set two with several lead changes between the two teams. CSB went up 12-9, only to see ETBU tie it at 12 on a kill and two attack errors. CSB fought back for a two-point lead, and ETBU, once again, had two kills (Mosley, Humphrey) and a Perry block for the one-point advantage, 17-16. The lead went back and forth as CSB went up 20-19. A CSB service error followed by a Reid service ace and a CSB attack error gave ETBU a two-point lead, 22-20. CSB pulled to within one, 23-22, only to see a Wheelock kill and a CSB attack error end the set, 25-22.
ETBU rolled through set three, 25-12. It was close early on, 8-6, but ETBU had a 7-0 run for a nine-point lead, 15-6. Reid and Pitts had kills, while Moody added a service ace in the run. A Mosley kill put ETBU up by 10, 17-7, but CSB was within nine, 19-10, with a kill. Two ETBU service aces and a CSB attack error gave the Tigers a 23-10 advantage. CSB scored the following two points, but a
Lindsey Gooch kill, and an ETBU block by Gooch and Hancock ended the match.
The Tigers take on #8 Trinity University at 11:00 a.m. and Texas Lutheran at 3:30 p.m.
