WEATHERFORD – SWOSU Volleyball received a dominant performance from its middle hitters Thursday night, sweeping Southern Nazarene 25-22, 25-20, 25-23 during the Bulldogs' annual Pink Out match at the Pioneer Event Center.
Katja Blanchat and Sydnee Winfrey combined for 35 kills and hit .468 to lead an efficient Bulldog attack. Blanchat set a new career high with 19 kills while hitting an even .500, committing only three errors on 32 attempts. Winfrey totaled 16 kills and hit .433, her best mark in a GAC match this season.
The victory gave SWOSU its third consecutive win and completed a regular-season sweep of the Crimson Storm. The teams entered the night tied in the conference standings, but the Bulldogs improved to 15-9 overall and 8-4 in league play with the win.
After the opening set was tied at 12-12, SWOSU scored four straight points to create separation. Southern Nazarene later pulled within 23-21, but Jenna Houk ended the run with a kill before Layla Collins closed out the 25-22 win.
The Bulldogs faced their largest deficit of the night in the second set when the Crimson Storm built a 20-16 advantage. SWOSU responded by scoring the final nine points of the frame. Blanchat delivered three consecutive kills to turn a 20-18 deficit into a 21-20 lead and later added another at 24-20 during the set-ending run.
SWOSU carried that momentum into the third and led 15-8 before Southern Nazarene fought back to tie the score at 16. The Bulldogs answered with a 7-1 run, highlighted by three more Blanchat kills, to regain control. The Crimson Storm made one final push to pull within 24-23, but Collins finished the sweep with her 12th kill of the night.
Collins joined Blanchat and Winfrey in double figures and hit .476 as SWOSU finished with 51 kills and a .314 team hitting percentage. Mackenzie Sims directed the offense with 44 assists, a career high for a three-set match. Jada Permenter collected a team-high 13 digs, while Houk added 12.
SWOSU concludes its four-match homestand Tuesday, October 27 against East Central. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
