MARSHALL, Texas – Becoming stronger in each set, no. 13 East Texas Baptist University took control of first place in the American Southwest Conference with a 3-1 (20-25, 25-14, 25-15, 25-18) victory over the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. ETBU has now won 20 straight matches in Ornelas Gym and is 13-1 overall and 2-0 in the ASC.
 
ETBU finished hitting .229 with 54 kills, producing five service aces. On defense, they had 22 combined blocks with 65 digs. Graycee Mosley recorded her ninth double-double of the year with 19 kills and 17 digs with three blocks. Avery Reid added 12 kills with nine digs and four blocks. Anita Hancock led the team with six blocks and posted seven kills. Grace Williamson had five blocks and six kills. Callie Humphrey led with 19 digs, Lexi Moody added 23 assists, and McKenzie Mansell had 21 assists.
 
UMHB came out strong in set one, taking a 7-2 lead. ETBU had to battle back the entire set, coming within one, 10-9, on a UMHB attack error. UMHB went back up by five, 15-10, before pulling within two, 17-15, on a Mosley kill. UMHB scored three points for another five-point lead, 20-15, for the 25-20 set win.
 
Five straight points started set two for ETBU with a kill from Mosley and Moody and a Humphrey service ace in the run. Two UMHB attack errors gave ETBU a 10-2 lead, and then another attack error put the Tigers up 16-5. A Mosley kill made it 22-8, and Reid posted a kill for a 14-point lead, 24-10. UMHB scored four straight points, but a Hannah Perry kill ended the set, 25-14.
 
ETBU scored three of the first four points in set three for a 3-1 lead with a kill from Mosley and Hancock. Tied at three, ETBU went on a 5-0 run with four kills as Pitts and Perry had a kill, and Mosley added two, making it 8-3. A UMHB attack error gave ETBU a 12-5 lead and a kill from Raylynn Pitts gave the Tigers a 10-point lead, 17-7. Another Pitts kill made it 19-10, as she also posted her third kill in the set for a 20-12 lead. UMHB received a point on an ETBU service error (20-13), but four more points by ETBU gave the Tigers a 24-13 lead. Reid ended set three for a 2-1 lead with a kill, making it 25-15.
 
UMHB opened up with a 3-1 lead to start set four. Both teams scored points back and forth until UMHB took an 8-6 lead. ETBU went on a 4-0 run for a 10-8 lead with a kill from Reid and Hancock. UMHB battled back to take a 13-12 lead, only to see two straight points by ETBU for a 14-13 advantage. UMHB scored the following two points, 15-14, but five consecutive points by ETBU made it 19-15. There was a kill by Reid and four straight attack errors by UMHB. A kill by UMHB brought them within three, 19-16, but kills from Perry, Pitts, and Moody made it 22-16. UMHB added two more points to pull within four, 22-18, but a kill from Reid and Mosley with a UMHB error ended the match, 25-18.
 
ETBU will host Texas Dallas in a regional match on Saturday, September 28, at 11:00 a.m. in Ornelas Gym.