ADA, Okla. – SWOSU went on the road to battle East Central on Thursday and came away with a gritty 3-1 victory against the Tigers.
With 32 total ties and 12 lead changes in the match, fans did not get much time to relax Thursday inside the Kerr Activities Center. The win wasn't flashy, it wasn't spectacular, but SWOSU went on the road against a hot ECU squad and grinded out four solid team sets to pick up a win.
ECU entered the game riding a seven-game win streak which included a huge five-set win over Oklahoma Baptist just two days prior. SWOSU came ready to stop that.
The game had potential postseason seeding implications as ECU sat directly behind SWOSU in the GAC standings. The win pushes the third-place Bulldogs to 10-4 in league play, while the Tigers drop to 9-6.
Thursday's match was defensive minded. It was the most digs the Dawgs have come away with in a four-set match all season. SWOSU came away with 92 as a team, led by Lauren DeSantiago's season and career high of 36 at libero.
There was just good defense all-around by SWOSU, who also posted 13.0 blocks as a team led by the duo of Zoey Sparks (5s-4a) and Carmen Kinsey (2s-4a). That team block count represents the highest total of the season. East Central was held to .103 hitting as a team.
The first two sets featured identical scores of 25-22 that went to each side.
SWOSU took the opening frame, followed by ECU who claimed the second. In set one, SWOSU led 23-18 before a four-point run by the home side caused concern. The Bulldogs weathered it, scored the next two and grabbed the early lead.
Set two saw the Tigers take control after the 14-14 mark. A small run gave them breathing room, and they inched towards the finish line from there. SWOSU trailed by just two at 23-21, but the set was put to bed shortly thereafter.
The momentum swing came in the third.
With the Tigers feeding off the previous set win, they found themselves leading 22-19 late and then 23-20. That was, until SWOSU pieced together four-in-a-row to steal the lead away. Now knotted at 24-24, the Dawgs scored the next two and took control of the match.
Things looked like a coin flip in the fourth set. Trailing 19-18, SWOSU finally buckled down to score seven of the final eight points and earned the win.
Maicee Morgan led the offense with 14 kills (.222) followed by Lacy Mott with 13. Alongside her presence at the net, Sparks added nine kills.
Terez Chavez ended with 23 assists, Cameron Turner 15.
With two games remaining on the schedule, SWOSU will travel to Alva next Tuesday (11/1) for rivalry action and will conclude the regular season back at home on Thursday (11/3) against Southern Nazarene.
The GAC Tournament is held in Shawnee, Oklahoma this year and is November 10-12.
