SHAWNEE, Okla. – SWOSU Volleyball claimed the opening set and remained competitive throughout the next two, but its fast start did not hold up in a four-set loss to GAC-leading Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday night.
The Bulldogs fell 20-25, 25-21, 25-20 and 25-15, snapping a four-match winning streak. SWOSU moved to 16-10 overall and 9-5 in Great American Conference play.
SWOSU jumped ahead 6-1 in the opening set and later used a 6-1 run to build a 20-14 advantage. The Bulldogs closed out the frame behind consecutive points from Layla Collins, including a service ace on set point. The SWOSU defense forced 10 attack errors and held Oklahoma Baptist to a .019 hitting percentage in the set.
The second remained tight early, with the Bulldogs holding a 9-7 lead before Oklahoma Baptist shifted the momentum with an 11-1 run. SWOSU responded late, cutting an eight-point deficit to three at 24-21, but the Bison finished the set on the next rally to even the match.
SWOSU led for much of the third set and held a 14-10 advantage before the Bison drew even at 15-15. The teams remained tied at 18 before Oklahoma Baptist scored seven of the final nine points to move ahead 2-1 in the match.
The Bulldogs again held an early lead in the fourth, going in front 10-8 following consecutive blocks by Katja Blanchat. Oklahoma Baptist answered with eight straight points and controlled the remainder of the set to close out the match.
The final team numbers were close despite the result. SWOSU hit .223 compared to Oklahoma Baptist's .222 and held a 73-65 advantage in digs. The Bison finished with edges of 57-49 in kills, 11-10 in blocks and 9-3 in service aces.
Collins led the Bulldog offense with 18 kills on a .265 hitting percentage. Blanchat added 10 kills with only one error to hit .500 while matching the team lead with five blocks.
Mackenzie Sims recorded her second consecutive double-double with 38 assists and 14 digs. Jada Permenter led all Bulldogs with 22 digs, while Haley Thomas added nine.
SWOSU travels to Southeastern Oklahoma State on Tuesday before returning home to conclude the regular season against Northwestern Oklahoma State next Thursday on Senior Night.
