TOPEKA, KAN. – The East Central University volleyball team dropped two matches in the second day of the Washburn Invitational. The Tigers (0-4) first fell to Pittsburg State 3-0 (22-25, 13-25, 22-25) and then to Drury 3-1 (20-25, 27-25, 16-26, 18-25).

ECU was paced by senior Alex Campbell, with 21 kills, five digs and two block assists. Junior Karina Erreguin added 14 kills, three service aces, four digs and four (1-3 blocks). Defensively, the Tigers were led by senior Lily Porsa, with 38 digs and two service aces.

ECU will now return home to host the Tiger Invitational, Sept. 7-8 at Kerr Activities Center. A total of eight matches will be played over the two-day period, including three involving the Tigers. ECU will battle Dallas Baptist, Thursday, Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Langston (11 a.m.) and Cameron (7 p.m.) Friday, Sept. 8.

Pittsburg State 3, East Central 0

The match against the Gorillas (2-1) saw both team struggle to get their offensive players to have a consistent day, with ECU hitting .037 and Pitt State .165. The key difference in the stat lines seemed to be in the service ace column, where the Gorillas earned a 9-4 advantage.

The opening set was a close battle throughout the set, with each team taking leads and seeing them disappear. However, Pitt State was the last to make a run, going on a 3-0 run for the final three points of the set to earn a 22-25 win.

The second set saw the Gorillas take an early lead and never relent on the way to the 13-25 win.

The final set was tight through the middle when Pitt State took a small 3-0 lead. The Tigers kept things close the rest of the set, but could not overcome the deficit and fell 22-25.

Drury 3, East Central 1

The Tigers had a stronger offensive match, but hit just .129 as a team to the Panthers (3-0) .224 mark. Campbell garnered 15 of her kills for the day, while senior Diana Etienne netted 10 kills and added three block assists and a service ace.

The teams traded runs at the beginning of the first set, but after a nine-all tie, Drury pushed ahead with a 6-0 run. ECU didn't let the lead get much larger the rest of the set, but ended up falling 20-25.

The Tigers came out swinging in the second set and took a lead in the middle, with a 6-0 run (16-9). The Panthers fought back, using several small runs, and tied the set at 24 to force extra points. However, ECU held on to claim the 27-25 win.

The Tigers then fell behind early in the third set, 0-6, and could never recover before falling 16-25.

The final set was a back-and-forth battle for the first 24 serves. However, in the middle of the set Drury took over with a 7-0 run to regain the lead. The Panthers then didn't let the Tigers get closer than one point the rest of the set on the way to the 18-25 win.