BOLIVAR, Missouri – The Ouachita volleyball team bounced back from Friday's losses with a pair of 3-1 wins over Truman State and Southwest Baptist on Saturday to close out the 2024 SBU Invitational.
Match One: Ouachita 3, Truman State 1
Set Scores: 25-19, 25-11, 17-25, 25-22
Ouachita fell behind Truman State at the start of Saturday's first match, but quickly rebounded. The two teams traded small runs, neither allowing the other to gain more than a two-point lead for most of the first set. However, something clicked for the Tigers, as they went on am 8-1 run to retake the lead, and push that lead to five points 23-18. Ouachita held on to win set one 25-19.
The Tigers stayed hot in the second set, quickly jumping out to a 10-2 lead. Not long after, the lead hit double-digits. Ouachita led TSU by as many as 14 points and cruised to a 25-11 win in set two, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Bulldogs came ready in set four, taking a big lead early. Truman State used small runs to thwart the Tigers' attempts at closing the gaps and TSU took set three 25-17.
The fourth set was back and forth from start to finish. Neither Ouachita nor Truman State held more than a two-point lead until a 4-0 Tiger run put Ouachita up by three. That run proved to be the difference in the set, allowing the Tigers to keep the Bulldogs from tying things up. Ouachita held on to win 25-22, securing a 3-1 match victory.
Emily Adams led the front row attack with 15 kills on a .361 hitting percentage.
Riley Braziel and
Kailey Thedford were next with 14 kills each. Braziel also racked up 15 digs for her third double-double of the season.
Coutrney Hanson dished out 52 assists, her third 50-plus assist match of the season and one shy of tying a season high. Hanson also added 14 digs for her seventh double-double of the season.
Haley Fairchild led the front row defense with three blocks. Followed by Adams, Braziel, and
Leah Gardner with two each.
Avery Jauz led the back row with 25 digs. Braziel was next with 15, followed by Hanson with 14.
Match Two: Ouachita 3, Southwest Baptist 1
Set Scores: 25-19, 25-20, 19-25, 25-12
The final match of the SBU Invitational saw Ouachita take control early over Southwest Baptist after a 7-0 run gave the Tigers an eight-point advantage over the Bearcats. From there, Ouachita stayed in the driver's seat, and held off a late SBU attack to take set one 25-19.
Set two started much closer, with Ouachita again holding a slight lead over Southwest Baptist. It wasn't until a 5-0 run that the Tigers really gained control of the set with a 17-9 lead. SBU tried to use small runs to make a comeback, but Ouachita held steady, winning the second set 25-20 and taking a 2-0 match lead.
The Bearcats took control early in the third set after a 9-1 run. Ouachita used two runs to get back into the set, making it a two-point, 21-19 game late. But Southwest ended the set on a 4-0 run to make it a 2-1 match.
Ouachita was done playing around in set four, opening the set with five straight points. The Tigers expanded their lead later in the set on a 7-0 run that put Ouachita up by 12 points. Ouachita ended the set the same way they started it, with five straight points. The Tigers took set four 25-11 and won the match 3-1.
Riley Braziel and
Kailey Thedford paced the offense with 17 kills each. Braziel also tallied 16 digs for her fourth double-double on the season.
Haley Fairchild led the front row with a season-high seven total blocks. Thedford was next with four, followed by Braziel with 3 and
Leah Gardner with two.
Coutrney Hanson handed out 43 assists on the match, her fifth 40-plus assists match of the season. Hanson also recorded 16 digs for her eighth double-double of the year. The Arlington, Texas native also led the team with three aces, hitting the 100-career ace mark.
Five Tigers hit the double-digit mark in digs.
Avery Jauz led the way with 21, followed by Braziel and Hanson with 16,
Kylie Kisgen with 14, and Petyon Church with 12. In total, Ouachita tallied 90 digs on the night, the second most of the year.
The Tigers have closed out the weekend invitational portion of their schedule and will look to keep up their success when they travel to Searcy, Arkansas to take on the Harding Bisons on Tuesday, September 24 at 6 p.m.
