WEATHERFORD, Okla. – In a balanced matchup between teams fighting for positioning in the Great American Conference, it was the SWOSU Volleyball team who outlasted Southern Nazarene for a thrilling five-set victory on Tuesday evening at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
The Bulldogs honored the six senior members of the program prior to the match and got strong contributions from each during the match. Libero
Kaitlyn Dillon led the way defensively with a season-high 31 digs while also serving up three aces, the last of which came during the deciding fifth set and pushed her to the top of SWOSU's all-time list for aces with 115.
Emily Wood also had a huge night both offensively and defensively as she recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 12 kills and a career-high 29 digs.
Sofia Gruden (10 kills, 4 blocks,
Brylee Burroughs (8 kills, 1 block) and
Jenny Tackett (7 kills, 4 blocks) also contributed in multiple facets while Valerie Vermilion served up an ace as part of a four-point run on her serve during the second set as SWOSU pulled away to tie the match at 1-1 after dropping the first 25-18. SWOSU had set point in the third set, but SNU scored three straight points to close out the set and take a 2-1 lead on the match.
Not to be deterred, SWOSU used two long runs in the fourth set, first on the service of
Maicee Morgan and later with Tackett at the service line, to build a 13-7 advantage, which gave them enough cushion to withstand a late SNU run. Following four straight points by the Crimson Storm to get within two, Morgan put the set away with consecutive kills and pushed the match to the fifth.
The fifth set featured the teams trading blows until the Bulldogs scored six straight points on Tackett's service, building a 12-7 lead following an ace by Tackett and a kill from Burroughs. SNU would not go down without a fight, however, scoring six of the next seven points to tie the score twice at 13-13 and 14-14, but Gruden came through with the vim in the end and closed the match out with two straight kills.
Morgan led the way for SWOSU offensively with 19 kills while Hoang also added a double-double of 45 assists and 16 digs.
With the win, SWOSU Volleyball ensures that they will finish with a record above .500 for the second consecutive season, a feat the program has not previously accomplished. The Bulldogs are now 15-11 on the year and 11-4 in Great American Conference play heading into a matchup at East Central on Thursday evening in Ada.
