Tulsa Improves to 20 Wins After Sunday Sweep Over East Carolina

Sunday, November 9

Tulsa, Okla.

1:00 p.m.

Tulsa

20-6,10-4American

East Carolina

11-14,3-11American

East Carolina

Tulsa

Photo by: Alina Lebedeva

Tulsa Improves to 20 Wins After Sunday Sweep Over East Carolina

11/9/2025 3:51:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa (20-6, 10-4 American) defeated East Carolina (11-14, 3-11 American) in straight sets, 25-19, 25-23, 25-21, Sunday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center, hitting the 20-win mark for the first time since 2014. Tulsa's offense was fueled by a strong third set, where they achieved a hitting percentage of .441.

Jill Hanson reflected on Tulsa's victory, highlighting the contributions of a large and impactful freshman class. "We have a big class. They've been a huge part of this team. Everyone contributes. It's amazing to see everybody, especially being so young, doing so well," she said.

Hanson also emphasized the team's preparation and resilience leading up to this week's matches. "We worked a lot on defense. We worked a lot on our consistency. We really just wanted to show everybody that we deserve to remain on notice," she added.

The focus on composure was evident in their comeback efforts, erasing a 22-24 set two deficit against Charlotte on Friday and a 20-14 set two deficit against ECU on Sunday. "We have really strong composure. We play our game. We play Tulsa volleyball. We know how to trust each other. We know how to put balls away in tough situations. We stay calm. We hold each other accountable, that's how we get through it," Hanson concluded.

Tulsa opened the first set with a strong start against the Pirates, capitalizing on several service and attack errors by their opponents. Maegan Mills contributed significantly with a four-point service run built entirely on aces to help Tulsa build a commanding 9-3 lead. Olivia Vance also made an impact with two kills assisted by Brayden Hipp, extending the lead further. Despite a late surge by East Carolina, including a series of points from Kai Bailey and Aulie Huff, Tulsa maintained control. Jill Hanson secured the set for the Golden Hurricane, 25-19, with a decisive kill from Hipp's assist.

In a closely contested second set, Tulsa edged East Carolina 25-23. Hanson contributed early with a block to secure Tulsa's first point and later added a kill to keep the home team competitive at 21-17. Kat Cooper's consistent performance was evident with multiple kills, while Vance's back-to-back points tied the set at 22-22. The decisive moment came with a service ace from Tulsa, closing the set at 25-23. TU was down 20-14 before rallying to take the set and a 2-0 lead.

Tulsa and the Pirates engaged in a contested third set. East Carolina initially secured a 2-0 lead, capitalizing on an attack error by Hanson. Tulsa responded with a series of strong plays, including a kill by Cooper to tie the score at 5-5. The teams exchanged leads until the Golden Hurricane established a 17-14 advantage with a kill by Hipp. Tulsa surged ahead with a critical 7-0 run, highlighted by kills from Vance and a service ace by Hipp, reaching set point at 24-16. East Carolina rallied with a 5-0 run, including back-to-back service aces from Allison Butrum, but Tulsa clinched the set 25-21 with a decisive kill by Hanson.

Tulsa will hit the road next to face Temple on Friday, November 14, at 5 p.m. in Philadelphia, before coming home for Senior Day and the regular season finale on Sunday, November 16, against Tulane at 1 p.m.

Tulsa's Top Performers
Brayden Hipp
----------------------
- 31 assists
- 14 digs
- four kills on seven attempts

Jill Hanson
----------------------
- 15 points
- six total blocks (two solo)
- two service aces

Olivia Vance
----------------------
- 11 kills on 25 attempts
- 12 points
- two block assists

Maegan Mills
----------------------
- four service aces
- 6.5 points
- one block assist

East Carolina's Top Performers
Ekwe Anwah
----------------------
- 7.5 points
- 5 kills
- 3 total blocks

Kai Bailey
----------------------
- 6.5 points
- 5 total blocks
- 4 kills

Aulie Huff
----------------------
- 11.0 points
- 9 kills
- 4 total blocks

Game Notes
- Tulsa extends its impressive series lead over East Carolina to 26-3 with wins in 10 of the last 11 meetings.
- The Golden Hurricane now have 20 wins on the season, reaching that mark for the first time since 2014.
- TU has now won 20 of their last 24 matches this season, and has emerged victorious in 23 of their last 31 outings dating back to the final five matches of last season.
- Hipp led TU with 31 assists (10.33/set) and 14 digs (4.67/set).
- Hipp's 31 assists and 14 digs on Sunday marks her 13th double-double of the season and 35th of her career.
- Hanson led the Golden Hurricane in blocking (6) for the 14th time this year.
- Mills had four services aces, all coming consecutively in the first set
- Brittany Bacorn boosted the defense with 12 digs - her 13th double-figure dig contest this season and 16th of her career.
- TU won the block battle 9-8.

2025 TICKETS
Single-game tickets are now on sale for $13 per ticket per match for ages 4 and older and can be purchased in advance at TulsaHurricane.com or at the entrance. Season tickets also start at just $50. Season ticket members will receive 1 (one) membership card per ticket that they order that will be good for all 2025 TU Volleyball regular-season home matches in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. No refunds for canceled games due to weather-related or any other cause. CLICK HERE to start the process of ordering tickets or call 918-631-4688.

Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the volleyball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.