POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The East Central Community College volleyball team made its debut Saturday, splitting its first two matches in program history with a win over Coastal Alabama-North and a narrow five-set loss to Pearl River.

In the opener, the Warriors secured the first victory in school history with a 3–1 win against Coastal Alabama-North (26-24, 25-18, 14-25, 25-19). Freshman outside hitter Dixie Nance registered 17 kills, while Ainslee Copeland added 14. Setter Anna Wojtczak guided the offense with 43 assists, and libero Landry Franks notched 25 digs.

East Central carried that momentum into its second match of the day, taking Pearl River to the wire before falling 3–2 (25-18, 22-25, 20-25, 25-15, 17-15). Copeland led the Warriors with 15 kills, Wojtczak contributed 19 assists and four aces, and Franks added 22 digs. Pearl River, which has been competing for more than five years, was pushed to the limit by the first-year program before escaping behind 18 kills from Avery Wheat and 19 from Lila Willett.

The Warriors finished their inaugural day of competition 1–1, and several onlookers remarked that East Central "did not look like a first-year program" with their level of play and ability to challenge an established opponent.