EDMOND, Okla. – SWOSU Volleyball had a tough day of competition at the MIAA/GAC Crossover tournament on Thursday, falling to nationally No. 2-ranked Central Oklahoma and Emporia State.
The Bulldogs will try to close out their time in Edmond on a high note tomorrow morning when they take on Fort Hays State at 10:00 a.m.
UCO 3, SWOSU 1
21-25, 25-21, 16-25, 23-25
The Bulldogs became just the second team this season to take a set off the No. 2-ranked Bronchos and nearly forced a deciding fifth set before a late fourth-set rally came up short.
Paris Patterson (.214) powered the offense with 20 kills – her highest total since joining SWOSU. At the net, the Bulldogs outblocked UCO 12-8, led by
Hailey Smith and
Katja Blanchat with seven each. On the backline,
Jada Permenter collected a match-high 24 digs to pace both teams defensively.
Errors proved costly early for SWOSU, as nine miscues in the first set put them in a 20-11 hole. The Bulldogs fought back late and cut the deficit to four before dropping the opener. That momentum carried into the second set, where SWOSU never trailed while tallying a match-high 14 kills against just five errors in a 25-21 win.
UCO regained control in the third before stringing together a 10-0 run in the fourth to lead 21-13. Refusing to fold, SWOSU stormed back to within 23-22, but the comeback ended there as the Bronchos held on. Despite forcing UCO into a negative hitting percentage in the fourth (13 errors), the Bulldogs couldn't extend the match.
Final team numbers underscored how tight the contest was. UCO held a slight edge in hitting percentage (.148 to .129), while every other category — points, kills, aces, assists, and digs — was nearly even.
ESU 3, SWOSU 0
23-25, 23-25, 17-25
The second match ended in straight sets, but the first two saw SWOSU narrowly fall before Emporia State broke the match open in the third.
In the opener, ESU grabbed an early lead and never let it go. Set two was tied 23-23 before the Hornets closed with two straight points to secure the frame. A 7-0 Emporia State run to start the third set the tone, and they led wire to wire from there.
No Bulldog reached double-digit kills.
Jenna Houk (.083) finished with a team-high nine but was hampered by seven errors. SWOSU hit .140 as a team, compared to .212 from the Hornets.
