OKLAHOMA CITY - The Mid-America Christian University volleyball team took the court on Tuesday night at the Gaulke Activity Center looking to get back to the .500 mark for the first time since September 28, hosting the Langston University Lions with a chance to also complete a season series sweep. MACU started slowly, but after a rough first set, the Evangels came out strong in the second set and never looked back.

MACU (12-12, 6-8 SAC) got a career high 14 kills from Elena Hadzhieva - who hit .619 in the match - and Da'Jah Thompson continued her march toward 500 kills with 14 of her own as the Evangels beat Langston (4-22, 1-14 SAC) in four sets 19-25, 25-12, 25-14, and 25-21.

The first set started as a tighly contested affair, but late in the frame, Langston used a 6-1 run to put some breathing room between themselves and the Evangels. The Lions hit .516 in the set, and Langston took the first set win 25-19.

Alexa Bass and the Evangels set the tone from the opening whistle of the second stanza, however. Bass helped MACU grab a 4-0 lead, and after a kill got Langston on the board, Maegan Plunk stepped back and helped extend that lead to 12-1 with four service aces. The Lions got no closer than seven points in the rest of the set, and MACU leveled the evening with a 25-12 set victory.

Bass again served a lengthy run to open the third stanza, as MACU took the first six points and MACU eventually built an 11-2 edge early. The lead reached 10 at 16-6, and a kill from Hannah Balzer-Lipsett pushed that advantage all the way to 13 at 19-6. MACU led by at least 10 points for the remainder of the set, and the Evangels took the frame 25-14 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Langston scored first in the fourth set, but MACU quickly bounced back to take the lead at 3-2 - the only lead change of the night - and the Evangels slowly pulled away. Hadzhieva had five kills in the set, and MACU took the set 25-21 to earn the 3-1 match victory.

Hadzhieva had 14 kills and only one error on 21 attacks in the match, and Thompson added 14 kills and hit .323 for the night as she closed to within 77 kills of 500 for her MACU career. Alexa Bass dished out 26 assists in the match, and Morgan Van Meir added 15 helpers in the win, while Gabrielle Poling (14)and Kaylie Walker (11) both reached double-figures in digs. 

MACU will be back at home on Saturday afternoon when they host the Central Christian College of Kansas Tigers 1-16, 0-14 SAC). First serve is slated for 1 p.m.