OKLAHOMA CITY – In front of the one of the largest crowds of the season at the Gaulke Activity Center, the Mid-America Christian University volleyball team honored their six seniors and closed out the 2017 home season on Thursday night. The Lady Evangels knew that if they were to keep their postseason hopes alive, they needed a victory, and thanks in large part to the seniors, MACU was able to find their desired result.
The six seniors played the entire first set together, and MACU (10-13, 6-8 SAC) was able to use a very fast start from those six student-athletes to build the momentum necessary to sweep away the Drovers from the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma (2-19, 1-13 SAC), 25-21, 25-22, 25-19.
MACU scored their first 10 points of the match on either kills or aces, with Breeana Fritschow notching four of the team's nine kills in that span. Fritschow, Erika Brown, and Mary Seifert all recorded service aces in the set, and MACU took the first set by the score of 25-21. The Lady Evangels went back to their regular rotation in the second set, and junior Da'Jah Thompson made her presence felt immediately. Thompson belted seven kills in the second set alone, as MACU took the frame 25-22 to send the festivities into intermission with MACU on top 2-0. In the third set, MACU and USAO split the first 22 points evenly, but from there, the Lady Evangels took over, scoring 14 of the final 18 points, with senior Jasmine Pickett finishing things off with a kill to cap the straight-sets win with a 25-15 set three triumph.
Fritschow led all players with 11 kills, and Church and Thompson each recorded 10 scoring swings. Senior setter Melissa Hoppal dished out 27 assists, and Ryann Hale added 11, while Seifert and Tarann Riley each had 10 digs to lead the Lady Evangels. MACU had 49 kills as a team, including 20 in the second set alone.
MACU will wrap up their regular season with a trip to Texas on November 3 and 4. The Lady Evangels will battle the Lions of Southwestern Assemblies of God University (21-5, 11-1 SAC) on Friday, November 3 at 7 p.m., then wrap up the regular season at Texas Wesleyan University (20-3, 9-3 SAC) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
