MARSHALL, Texas – Making their 24^th appearance in the American Southwest Conference Volleyball Championship Tournament, No. 19 East Texas Baptist University is the no. 2 seed with an 8-2 record. The 24 appearances is an ASC best as the Tigers will be looking for the program's seventh championship.
 
"This team is different from the teams in the past is this year we have had to battle through a little bit of adversity this year," says head coach Mallory Matthews. "We were pressured with some high level competitions at the beginning of the year, we took a little lull in the middle of the season, and now I feel like have persevered and really pushed through that and have been playing some of their best volleyball which has been really exciting to see. They are all collectively working together and it is cool to see and watch them."
 
ETBU enters the tournament winning the past three ASC Championships as the program has earned wins in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2023, 2024, and 2025. The six championships are second most in the ASC behind former member Texas Dallas' eight. In the 23 appearances, they are 31-23, and have only lost three sets in the past three tournaments playing in the last four championship matches going 8-1 in that time.
 
The Tigers are 21-5 overall, won their last nine matches, and are No. 19 in the latest AVCA NCAA Division III Poll. They went 11-0 in Ornelas Gym and currently have a NPI ranking at No. 34 with 59.402 points. Teams ETBU have played in the NPI top 3 0are No. 1 Wash U and No. 27 Emory.
 
Earning several ASC post season awards, ETBU had six student-athletes gain All-ASC. Lara Hornsby was named the ASC Player of the Year and on the First Team with teammates Allison Sims, Anita Hancock, and Katherine Server. Making the second team were Sydney Temple and Sadie Kasowski. ETBU leads the
 
ASC points (17.46 per set), hitting percentage (.222), assists (12.45 per set), kills (13.35 per set), service aces (1.96 per set), and is second in blocks (2.15 per set).
 
Last year, ETBU swept through the ASC Tournament with 3-0 wins over Howard Payne University and Hardin-Simmons University in Marshall, Texas. ETBU took the first match over HPU, 25-17, 25-13, 25-12, and then won the championship over HSU, 26-24, 25-16, 27-25.
 
ETBU won the 2023 ASC Championship in Belton, Texas, in three sets, 29-27, 25-14, 25-20. They are 5-6 in Belton for the ASC Tournament and are 0-1 this year, there, falling 3-1 to the Crusaders.
 
In the semi-final match, ETBU will face either No. 6 seed Howard Payne or No. 3 seed Hardin-Simmons. ETBU won all matches vs. the two programs this year with 3-0 and 3-2 wins over HSU and swept HPU both times, 3-0. If ETBU advances to the championship, they will face either No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor, No. 4 Schreiner University, or No. 5 McMurry University.
 
ETBU opens up the ASC Tournament on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in Belton, Texas, in the semi-final match.