Oklahoma City, Okla. -- Down two sets to none, the Mid-America Christian Lady Evangels put up a valiant fight in the third but finally succumbed to the No. 18-ranked Lubbock Christian Lady Chaparrals in a Sooner Athletic Conference matchup Thursday night (Sept. 30) at the Gaulke Activity Center.
The Lady Evangels (8-12, 0-4 SAC) dug a huge hole in the third set by falling behind 9-2, but fought back with five straight points to pull within 9-7.
MACU trailed 18-13 when four kills by Julisa Mitchelle keyed a 10-4 spurt that put the Lady Evangels ahead 23-22.
The set was knotted at 25-25 when a kill by Bailey Jones and then a ball handling error sealed the victory for the 18th ranked Lady Chaparrals.
Cris Smith had a team-high nine kills and Callie Solie led MACU with 25 assists.
Shelbi Johnson chipped in with a team-best 13 digs.
Overall, the Lady Evangels hit .135 but produced a .310 percentage in the third set.
Danielle Betts hit .571 with four kills, while Taryn Walker had seven kills and a .333 hitting percentage.
The Lady Evangels will continue action in the SAC by hosting Wayland Baptist on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 2) at 1 p.m.
