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JOPLIN, Mo. -- The Gorillas Volleyball team (8-10) had a successful afternoon in the opening day of the MSSU Invitational on Friday (October 11). The team opened the day with a 3-0 win over East Central and capped the day with a 3-1 win over Arkansas Tech.

Pitt State dominated East Central, winning by scores of 25-16, 25-10 and 25-11. The Gorillas held the Pirates to a -.056 attack percentage, while hitting a season-high .298 as a team. The team also had 8.0 team blocks.

While no Gorillas tallied double figures in the match, three were close. Madi Mosier led the team with nine kills, Crystal Whitten added eight and Paula Okrutna, seven. Okrutna lead the team with a .636 hitting percentage as she tallied her seven kills on 11 attempts with no errors. Jordan Rehm lead the team with 12 digs. Aimee Wood was just under double figures with nine digs. Hayley Hansford recorded a double-double with 31 assists and 10 digs. Okrutna and Haylee Gregory led the team with four block assists a piece.

The match against Arkansas Tech was a grind. Pitt State won the first set 25-21, but Arkansas Tech responded with a 25-21 win of its own in the second set. The Gorillas rebounded in the third set for a 25-19 win and used the momentum to propel them to a 25-21 win in set four to win the match. 

Though Arkansas Tech tallied nearly 20 more kills than the Gorillas, Pitt State hit at a .248 percentage to .216 for the Golden Suns. Pitt State was helped by five service aces and 7.0 team blocks.

Whitten led Pitt State with 16 kills. Okrutna added a season-hit 13 kills, as she hit at a .team-high 478 clip for the match. Rehm led the team with 16 digs. Wood added 11 and Ashlen Schwartz was just under double figures with eight.

The Gorillas will finish the MSSU Invitational with a 3 p.m. match against Southwestern Oklahoma State.