Box Score
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ALVA, Okla. – Halloween in Alva provided little terror for the SWOSU volleyball team as the Bulldogs fended off all the tricks Northwestern Oklahoma State had in store to earn the season-sweep of the Rangers with a four-set victory (25-18, 15-25, 25-15, 25-23).
The Bulldogs eclipsed the .200 mark in hitting percentage for just the eighth time this season, hitting .209 for the match with 55 kills against 23 hitting errors. Four players reached double figures in kills, led by
Joey Collins with 17 and
Alison Cole with 15.
Shayne Haley tallied a season-high 12 kills while
Carly Zak put down 10.
SWOSU hit above .200 in each set except the second while holding Northwestern to below .100 in the first and third sets, but the Bulldogs had to rally in the fourth set to finish off the match. Trailing 19-16, the SWOSU got a trio of kills from Zak, Collins and Cole along with an assist block from Cole and Collins to take a 21-20 lead. NWOSU would tie the match following a service error but Collins and Cole got SWOSU to match point with kills.
After the Rangers pulled within one at 24-23, SWOSU Head Coach
Josh Collins called a timeout to settle his club, but the tactic, in turn, froze NWOSU's Shelby Boxberger. The ensuing serve by Boxberger went long, allowing SWOSU to claim the set 25-23 and the match 3-1.
In addition to the strong hitting, the Bulldogs defense also performed admirably. The Bulldogs blocked six Ranger attacks and recorded 67 digs in the match. After finishing with five blocks (two solo, three assist) in the match, Cole eclipsed the single-season SWOSU record for total blocks, a mark she now holds with 117 blocks on the year.
Breann Whitaker tallied a season-high with 53 assists in the match and she recorded her eighth double-double of the season by adding a team-high 13 digs. Collins also notched a double-double, her 11th of the year, adding 11 digs to go along with her hitting performance.
The win improves SWOSU to 10-18 on the year and they move above the .500 mark in conference play at 6-5. The Bulldogs have a break from action this weekend but they will be back in action at Rankin Williams Fieldhouse on Tuesday evening at 7 pm, hosting East Central.
