MARSHALL, Texas — Playing in front of an exciting crowd in Ornelas Gym on the Pink Out match, No. 20 East Texas Baptist University (15-5, 3-1 ASC) swept McMurry University (5-11, 0-2 ASC) 3-0. ETBU hit .398 with 41 kills and 11 service aces in the 25-18, 25-13, 28-26 sweep, controlling the set from start to end.
Allison Sims led the Tigers with 13 kills while hitting .667.
Sydney Temple recorded 18 assists and five service aces as
Claire Stewart added 17 assists.
Anita Hancock added 10 kills on a .533 hitting percentage.
Lara Hornsby finished with seven kills, three aces and nine digs.
ETBU created separation in a tight first set behind Temple's serve, using two Temple aces and a
McKinzie Riley-
Katherine Server block to move ahead 17-12. Hornsby and Hancock added late kills as the Tigers pushed the margin to 22-15. Sims finished the set with a kill from
Claire Stewart for a 25-18 win.
ETBU closed the second set by winning seven of the final eight rallies, turning an 18-12 score into a 25-13 set victory. Hornsby served three consecutive aces earlier in the set as the Tigers moved from 15-11 to 18-11, and
Sadie Kasowski later served during a push from 19-12 to 23-12 that included kills by Sims and
Ava Bobnar.
ETBU finished off an extended third set at 28-26, converting at 27-26 when McMurry committed a bad set. The Tigers used a 6-0 run from 6-6 to 12-6, with Temple serving through five straight points, including a service ace and two Sims kills. McMurry came back to tie the set at 24-24, but ETBU answered late with kills from Hancock and Sims before closing the set.
ETBU will celebrate Alumni Day as Hardin-Simmons University comes to town this Saturday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. in Ornelas Gym.
SET BREAKDOWN
First Set
- The opening stretch stayed tight, with ETBU getting early kills from Riley, Hornsby, and Sims before McMurry pulled even at 4-4 and the teams traded points to 11-11.
- After the 11-11 tie, the Tigers won six of the next seven points, using two McMurry service errors, two Temple aces, and a block by Riley and Server to move ahead 17-12.
- ETBU added a 4-0 push from 18-14 to 22-14, including kills from Hornsby and Hancock, and Sims closed the set with a kill for a 25-18 win.
Second Set
- After McMurry moved ahead 2-1, ETBU answered with kills from Hancock and a string of McMurry errors to take a 6-3 lead.
- The Tigers pushed the margin to 12-6 behind a Temple ace and kills from Hornsby and Server, but McMurry narrowed the gap to 14-11 before Hancock put down another kill.
- Hornsby served three straight aces to extend the lead to 18-11, and ETBU finished the set by winning seven of the final eight rallies, including late kills from Sims, Bobnar and Server in a 25-13 win.
Third Set
- After McMurry tied the set at 6-6, ETBU scored six straight points, including two Sims kills, a Server-Bobnar block and a Temple ace, to move ahead 12-6.
- McMurry worked back from 14-8 to 14-12, but the Tigers pushed the margin back out with kills from Hancock and Sims and service aces from Kasowski and Temple for a 20-15 lead.
- McMurry cut the deficit to 20-19 and later tied the set at 24-24 on an ace, but ETBU traded points through 26-26 before a Sims kill and a McMurry bad set finished the 28-26 set.
ETBU Top Performers
Allison Sims
- 13 kills with 1 error on 18 attempts
- .667 hitting percentage
- 13.0 points
Sydney Temple
- 18 assists
- 5 service aces
- 5.0 points
Lara Hornsby
- 7 kills
- 9 digs
- 3 service aces
- 10.0 points
Anita Hancock
- 10 kills with 2 errors on 15 attempts
- .533 hitting percentage
- 10.0 points
Katherine Server
- 4 blocks, including 1 solo
- 3 kills
- 5.5 points
