The East Central University volleyball team sent their seniors out with a bang in their dominating performance against Northwestern Oklahoma State University, sweeping the Rangers in straight sets (25-12, 25-13, 25-21) to close out the home schedule.
"That was a great way to end the season and get a boost headed into the postseason," Head Coach Cheri Lindsay said. "This group of seniors is very special to me, and I'm happy they got to end their last game at home with a win."
The Tigers outhit the Rangers .297 to .081, the Tigers' second-highest team hitting percentage this season.
Set one and set two saw the Tigers in complete control of the match, going on three 4-0 scoring runs or higher in the first and three 5-0 scoring runs or higher in the second. NWOSU could not seem to find any rhythm, and the Tigers cruised through set one and two at 25-12 and 25-13.
Like the first two sets, ECU took the early lead 18-8 and pushed it to 24-18. NWOSU managed to fight off three set points, but the Tiger win was not to be denied as ECU closed out set three 25-21 and the match win 3-0 on senior night.
Nyah Walker had a big night as she led the offense with 15 kills and a career-high .609 hitting percentage. Emma Strickland had another strong performance as the other Tiger to earn double-digit kills with 11. Aloni Jordan contributed seven kills and Jada Abercrombie rounded out the offense with 5 of her own. Leah Lawson ran the court dishing out 32 assists and five service aces. Defensively, Thalianette Garcia led the backrow in digs with 15.
Before the start of the match, the Tigers honored four seniors – Aloni Jordan, Lisa Gonzalez, Alejandra Delgado, and Thalianette Garcia.
Individual ECU Careers:
- Aloni Jordan – has played in 72 games and recorded 375 kills, 242 total blocks, 105 digs, and 13 aces in her three seasons as a Tiger. She is also entering the GAC tournament ranked No. 5 in the conference in blocks with 110, averaging .96 per set.
- Lisa Gonzalez – has played in 62 games and totaled 571 assists, 361 digs, and 29 aces in her three seasons in the orange and black uniform.
- Alejandra Delgado – has played in 68 games and accumulated 1,351 digs, 208 assists, and 63 aces in her three seasons at ECU. She is currently No. 3 in the GAC in digs with 518, averaging 5.23 per set and finished her time at ECU on the career list and single-season list.
- No. 3 ECU career digs – 1,351
- No. 2 single season digs – 627
- No. 6 single season service aces – 35
- Thalianette Garcia – has played in 57 games and amassed 457 kills, 614 digs, 41 total blocks, and 52 aces in her three seasons as a Tiger. She leaves her name on the ECU career list and single-season list.
- No. 6 ECU career double-doubles – 22
- No. 5 Single-season total attacks – 967
- No. 9 single season kills – 292
- No. 4 single-season double0doubles – 13
The East Central Volleyball team will prepare for the 2022 Great American Conference Volleyball Championships at Firelake Arena in Shawnee, OK. East Central (5) will face Ouachita Baptist (4) at 5:30 p.m. for round one of the tournament.
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