SHERMAN, Texas - In the second and third sets of their match on Wednesday evening, the Mid-America Christian University volleyball team ran at an extremely effecient pace. The Evangels belted 26 kills in the two sets, and they limited themselves to only eight errors in that span as MACU built a 2-1 lead in the match at Austin College.
Unfortunately for MACU, they were unable to sustain the pace, and in the end, they took a five set defeat.
MACU (8-10) was unable to hold the lead as they struggled to find kills in the final two sets, and Austin College (11-9) came from behind to win the match 25-16, 22-25, 20-25, 25-13, 15-13.
The first set was close through the early going, but with the Roos up 10-8 midway through the ser, AC mounted a 5-0 run to give themselves some breathing room. Another 5-1 run late in the stanza helped the Roos put the set away in a 25-16 victory.
In the second set, it was the Evangels who had the mid-set run to get some separation. With MACU down 11-9, Alexa Bass notched a kill and then stepped back to serve. Moments later, Bass had served MACU on a 6-0 run that included two service aces, and the Evangels had a 15-11 lead. That proved to be enough distance for MACU, as the Evangels led for the rest of the set to level the match with a 25-22 victory in the second frame.
MACU led wire-to-wire in set three. Maegan Plunk served MACU on a 4-0 run to open the third stanza, and the Evangels never looked back. Austin only pulled to within one point once in the set, but a kill from Thompson kept MACU in front, and the Evangels won the set 25-20 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Unfortunately for MACU, AC seize dthe momentum back early in the fourth frame. The Roos took eight of the first 11 points of the set, and they quickly stretched their lead to 12 points with a 5-0 run that made it 16-4. MACU got no closer than eight in the remainder of the set, and AC took the set 25-13 to force a fifth set.
The fifth set started much the same as the fourth, with AC taking the first five points. MACU closed wo within two at 7-5, but AC took the next point to grab an 8-5 edge and force the change of courts. Another 4-0 spurt for the Roos gave AC a 12-6 lead, but MACU summoned one final charge - and it nearly tied the score. A pair of late 3-0 runs, the second of which included a pair of kills from Thompson, helped MACU pull to within a single point at 14-13, but a service error ended the set in a 15-13 Austin win that gave the Roos the match 3-2.
Thompson had an outstanding night for the Evangels. She led all players in the match with 18 kills, and she hit .308 from the outside in the match. Dianne Walter and Elena Hadzhieva added seven kills apiece for MACU as well. Bass had 28 assists and Morgan Van Meir dished out 13 more, and Plunk led the team with 18 digs.
MACU will return home for the weekend for a pair of key Sooner Athletic Conference matches. The Evangels will host the Oklahoma Panhandle State University Aggies (4-13, 3-7 SAC) on Friday night at 7 p.m., and they will follow that up with a match against the Wayland Baptist University Pioneers (6-11, 5-5 SAC) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
