BELTON, Texas — In a fully packed Mayborn Campus Center at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, No. 5 East Texas Baptist University swept the Crusaders, 3-0, 25-16, 25-13, 25-22 in the American Southwest Conference opener. Graycee Mosley was dominant, earning her 61st Double-Double of her career, with 13 kills and 13 digs. ETBU's efficient attack resulted in 47 kills with a .235 hitting percentage, while their defense recorded 67 digs and amassed 11 total blocks.

The Tigers dominated the first set with a strong 3-0 lead, fueled by kills from Mosley and McKinzie Riley, supported by Lexi Moody's assists. The team surged again midway through the set with a series of attack errors by Mary Hardin-Baylor, extending the lead to 10-4, highlighted by a block from Anita Hancock and Lindsey Gooch. ETBU maintained momentum, closing the set on a 5-0 run with consecutive errors from the opponents and a final kill by Riley from Moody, securing a decisive 25-16 victory.

The second set was an intense battle, starting with a Riley's kill when ETBU was down, 2-0, initiating a comeback, followed by Mosley's point to tie the score at 2-2. Moody orchestrated a strong attack, assisting on multiple kills to keep the score tight. The Tigers capitalized on UMHB's errors and surged ahead with a series of blocks, notably from Gooch and Hancock, taking a narrow 25-23 victory. Sydney Temple's critical assist to Lara Hornsby sealed the set, highlighting ETBU's tenacity in a closely contested set.

A tightly contested third set saw the Tigers gain an early advantage with Riley and Mosley securing kills to put the team ahead 2-0. Mary Hardin-Baylor fought back to tie the score at 5-5, but ETBU responded with a 5-0 run, highlighted by consecutive service aces from Katherine Server, pushing their lead to 14-12. In the final stretch, Hornsby delivered crucial kills, including the set-ending point at 25-22, assisted by Moody, to secure the win for the Tigers.

Callie Humphrey led the defensive effort for ETBU with 15 digs. Hancock was a force at the net, collecting 10 kills and a team-leading seven total blocks. Moody facilitated the attack with 21 assists, helping to set up the offense effectively.

This week marked several individual highs for the Tigers as Callie Humphrey collected her 1000th career dig, Lexi Moody hit 2000 career assists and Mosley had her 61st career double-double. 

The Tigers will continue their ASC gauntlet on the road next Friday at 6:00 p.m. at Hardin-Simmons in Abilene, then head to Brownwood on Saturday to face Howard Payne at 1:00 p.m.