WICHITA FALLS, Texas – SWOSU Volleyball pushed Central Oklahoma to the brink nearly the entire way in Saturday morning's 11:00 a.m. match after winning the opening set and playing to a pair of 25-23 scores, but the Dawgs fell 3-1 to conclude opening weekend.
UCO entered the match sitting just outside of the AVCA Top-25 Poll. SWOSU was riding a hot 3-0 start – the first such start in program history.
The loss is the first of the season for the Bulldogs, who finish opening weekend 3-1. It's the best start to a season since 2018 when SWOSU began the season 8-1.
SWOSU started hot by building a seven-point, 16-9, lead in the first set and withstood a late UCO run to jump ahead 1-0 in the match.
Things were reversed in set two when the Bronchos built a lead early and managed to extend it as the set progressed to as many as eight points late. The score margin then tightened up in the third set, but UCO paced the scoring the entire way with just one lead change and one tie.
With their backs up against the wall, SWOSU dug in and battled in the final frame. 13 ties and four lead changes later, SWOSU looked to be poised to force a deciding fifth set, but the Dawgs fell victim to a 4-0 run after leading 23-21 that instead ended the match.
13 service errors plagued SWOSU in the match, compared to just three from UCO. The Bronchos also ended with seven service aces, compared to four from the Dawgs.
Offensively, the Bulldogs outperformed UCO with 10 less errors and a higher hitting percentage. They finished at .253 as a team (UCO .183) and were led by Lacy Mott's 21 kills and strong .353 percentage. Mott ended with a double-double on the day, adding 13 digs. Hailey Smith eclipsed the double-digit kill mark for the first time all season, finishing with 10 behind Mott.
At the net, it was the same story. SWOSU finished with 11 total blocks aided by Zoey Sparks (2s-5a) and Samantha Kuzma (4a).
Up next for the Dawgs will be a trip to Durango, Colorado for another four games in two days beginning Friday, September 8 when they will face Colorado State-Pueblo and Texas A&M International.
