East Central rallied from an opening-set loss to beat Southern Nazarene, 3-1, on Senior Night, keeping its push for a spot in the Great American Conference Championship Tournament alive. Reagan Hutchinson powered the Tigers with a career-high 21 kills as ECU won three straight tightly contested sets.

By the Numbers
  • Set scores: 19-25, 25-21, 26-24, 26-24.
  • ECU improved to 11-17 overall and 6-9 in GAC play; SNU fell to 16-13 and 8-7.
  • Hutchinson had 21 kills and 14 digs; Emily Pena recorded 26 assists and 11 digs.
  • ECU hit .201, compared with SNU’s .168.
Yes, But

The teams matched each other with 55 kills and nine service aces, and SNU had the edge in blocks, 8-7. ECU’s slim advantages in assists and digs helped, but the Tigers still had to fend off late rallies in both the third and fourth sets.

State of Play
  • ECU remains in contention for a GAC Championship Tournament berth.
  • The Tigers close the regular season Thursday, Nov. 5, at Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Bottom Line

ECU turned a Senior Night sendoff into a consequential win, but its postseason hopes now hinge on the regular-season finale.