ADA, Okla. – The University of Arkansas at Monticello volleyball team continued Great American Conference play Thursday evening, taking on East Central University in Ada. The Boll Weevils battled the Tigers through three sets but ultimately fell (25-21, 25-18, 25-12).
FIRST SET (25-21 ECU, ECU leads 1-0)
Arkansas-Monticello opened the match strong, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead behind kills from Isabella Garcia and Jalen Scroggins. East Central responded with a 7-1 run to take a 7-3 advantage before Sophia Grubbs ended the stretch with a kill. The Tigers continued to build their lead, pushing ahead 10-4 and later 15-8. UAM continued to battle as Garcia recorded multiple kills and Summer Stephens added a kill to help cut into the deficit. East Central eventually extended its advantage to 19-13, but the Weevils answered with a strong push. Kills from Ella Cline and Garcia, along with a block from Kylie Miller and Garcia, helped UAM pull within two at 19-17. The Weevils continued their comeback, tying the set at 20-20 following back-to-back ECU attack errors. East Central regained the lead and reached set point at 24-20, but UAM fought off the first opportunity with a Garcia kill. The Tigers responded on the following point to close out the opening set, 25-21.
SECOND SET (25-18 ECU, ECU leads 2-0)
UAM fell behind early in the second set, as East Central jumped out to a 5-1 advantage. The Weevils responded with a 4-0 run, highlighted by a service ace from Sophia Grubbs, to cut the Tigers' lead to 5-4. UAM continued to battle, using kills from Jalen Scroggins and Isabella Garcia to even the set at 6-6 before taking a 7-6 lead following an ECU attack error. The teams traded points throughout the middle of the set before kills from Sophia Grubbs and Scroggins, followed by another Grubbs service ace, tied the set at 14-14. East Central regained the advantage, but UAM remained close as Scroggins and Summer Stephens recorded kills to bring the Weevils within one at 17-16. The Tigers then used a 4-0 run to extend their lead to 21-16. UAM answered with a block from Garcia and Stephens before an ECU attack error brought the Weevils within five at 23-17. Ella Cline added a late kill to fight off set point, but East Central responded on the following play to take the second set, 25-18.
THIRD SET (25-12 ECU, ECU wins 3-0)
Arkansas-Monticello and East Central battled closely to begin the third set, with a kill from Jalen Scroggins and an ECU attack error helping UAM tie the score at 2-2. Isabella Garcia followed with a kill to give the Weevils a 3-2 advantage before the Tigers answered to even the set at 3-3. The teams continued trading points, reaching a 4-4 tie before East Central began to pull ahead. UAM remained within one at 6-5, but the Tigers responded with a 6-0 run to extend their advantage to 12-5. Summer Stephens ended the run with a kill, and UAM continued to fight as ECU errors helped bring the Weevils within five at 12-7. East Central answered by extending its lead to 16-9 before Kylie Miller recorded a kill and a block alongside Scroggins helped UAM reach 11 points. The Tigers then took control late in the set, using a 6-0 run to build a 23-11 advantage. An East Central service error gave UAM its 12th point, but the Tigers scored the final two points to close the third set, 25-12, and take the match in three sets.
UAM STAT LEADERS
Kills: Isabella Garcia (8)
Assists: Ella Cline (9)
Digs: Maelie Cooke (10)
Block Assists: Kylie Miller (3)
Aces: Sophia Grubbs (2)
UP NEXT
The Weevils make the quick trip to Durant to take on the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma State on Friday, Oct.2 . The game is set to begin at 4:00 p.m.
Links to both live stream and live stats are available as clickable links on the 2026 UAM Volleyball Schedule at
uamsports.com.
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