BETHANY, Okla. – In a match where all four sets were decided by three points or fewer, SWOSU Volleyball found a way to come out on the winning end of a 3-1 result at Southern Nazarene on Thursday to wrap up the week.
The Bulldogs finish off the regular season sweep of the Crimson Storm and move to 17-7 on the season and 11-3 in GAC play. Having already played a pair of in-state conference matches this week, SWOSU will have the weekend off from competition to prepare for next week's regular season finale.
Thursday did not start the way SWOSU wanted. The Dawgs found themselves trailing by as many as 11 in the set (14-3) and eventually trailed 18-9 before mounting a huge comeback to steal the set, 25-23. Uniquely enough, the set featured just one tie and one lead change. That theme stuck in the second.
SWOSU jumped ahead in set two and stayed ahead. They did not trail at any point despite constant answers by the home team to keep the margin close. Nine SNU hitting errors aided the Bulldogs after they posted their lowest hitting percentage (.104) of any set. Set two went to the Dawgs, 25-22.
With their backs against the wall, Southern Nazarene avoided the sweep by being on the flip side of a 25-23 result in a third set that featured 18 different combined ties or lead changes. That could have swung momentum for the worst, but instead, SWOSU dug deep and responded.
One final closely contested set in the fourth saw 13 more combined ties or lead changes. After a back-and-forth through the early and middle parts, it was SWOSU who edged ahead late and stayed ahead. Leading 24-20, SNU made one final run to get within a point before Lacy Mott ended things for good with a kill on match point.
SWOSU hit .162 for the match which included a match-high .256 in the fourth when they needed it most. They held SNU to .138 and out-served the Crimson Storm 7-3 in service aces.
The Crimson Storm did put up a dominant block, totaling 13.5 blocks. That's the most an opponent has had against SWOSU all season.
Lacy Mott led the offense with 16 kills (.167) and added 21 digs. She got help from Hailey Smith (.364) who also finished with 10 kills and four blocks. Jada Permenter matched Mott with 21 digs at libero.
With the final week of the regular season on the horizon, SWOSU sits tied with Oklahoma Baptist and Harding atop the GAC standings with two matches left to play against two teams who they have previously lost to.
The Bulldogs, who have already defeated Harding this season and would hold a tiebreaker over them should it be needed, will travel to Oklahoma Baptist on Monday, November 6 with obvious implications on the line. OBU defeated SWOSU in five sets back on October 3rd in Weatherford.
The regular season concludes next Thursday (Nov. 9) when the Dawgs welcome Northwestern to Weatherford on Senior Night.
