SHAWNEE, Okla. – SWOSU Volleyball and Oklahoma Baptist played in yet another five-set thriller on Monday night, but it was the Bison who were able to win a dramatic fifth set and claim the 3-2 victory. The Dawgs nearly completed a reverse sweep, but the comeback ran out of juice late in the fifth set. 

In two matches between SWOSU and OBU this season, all 10 possible sets were required but the Bison were able to snag wins in both. Monday's thriller was the first time this season the Bison were taken to five sets on their home floor. They remain a perfect 6-0 in Shawnee in 2023.
 
The two sides entered the night tied at the top of the conference standings, but the win moves OBU just above SWOSU with one match remaining in the regular season. SWOSU now sits 17-8 on the season and 11-4 in league play and will close out the regular season on Thursday (Nov. 9) against Northwestern for Senior Night.
 
Having already secured a spot in the conference tournament, Thursday's matchup will be played to lock in seeding and hopefully avenge a previous loss to the Rangers.  
 
For just a second time this season, four different Bulldogs finished with double-digit kills on the night. Lacy Mott finished with 18 kills after battling through a slow start, followed by Maicee Morgan and Taryn Galt's 13 and Hailey Smith's 10.
 
OBU finished at .197 hitting as a team, compared to SWOSU's .153. The Bison narrowly edged out the Dawgs in nearly all stat categories on the night. Both sides had 90 digs. The Bulldogs got 20 of those from Jada Permenter. Terez Chavez's 18 sets a season high.
 
Set 1 – 25-22, OBU
The opening frame was close throughout with seven ties and four lead changes and set the tone for what was to come. Eventually tied 21-21, OBU scored four of the final five points to win it. SWOSU hit just .079 with eight errors which proved to be the difference maker.
 
Set 2 – 25-19, OBU
SWOSU again finished with eight errors in the second set. In set one, the errors were masked by a closely contested set. However, in the second, after the Dawgs scored the first point of the frame it was all Bison who led by as many as seven and never trailed after that initial point.
 
Set 3 – 25-21, SWOSU
The Bulldogs did not go down quietly, posting a team best .245 hitting percentage in the third set behind five kills from Taryn Galt to keep the match alive. It was SWOSU who played from out front in the third set, fighting off OBU's attempts to get back into the match with timely answers and additional runs of their own.
 
Set 4 – 25-23, SWOSU
SWOSU weathered early OBU success and overtook the Bison late. Trailing 18-15, the Dawgs flipped set control with six straight points out of a timeout and went on to win the closest set of the night. SWOSU (.214) above .200 for a second consecutive set, while the Bison committed nine errors
 
Set 5 – 15-10, OBU
SWOSU fell behind early before making a run at the Bison to take the lead at 10-9. From there, it was all OBU who went on to score the match's final six points.