BETHANY, Okla. – Junior outside hitter Hannah Focker recorded a Mid-America Christian volleyball program record 30 kills, including the match-winning kill in the fifth set to lead the Evangels to a 3-2 (21-25, 21-25, 25-5, 25-23, 18-16) comeback victory at Southwestern Christian on Saturday.
Freshman right side hitter Maddie Callicoat turned in a career-high 19 kills while senior setter Alexa Bass also dished out a career-best 48 assists to help lead the charge, as Mid-America Christian (11-8, 9-5 Sooner Athletic Conference) had to fight back from two sets down to complete the victory.
After jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the first set off of four Southwestern Christian (11-10, 6-7 SAC) attack errors, the Evangels quickly found themselves down when the Eagles rattled off four in a row. It was the start of a stretch that saw 10 ties and eight lead changes with neither team gathering larger than a one-point edge until back-to-back SCU points off a kill and a block extended the Eagles lead to 16-14.
The two squads traded the next four rallies until a Callicoat kill and Maegan Plunk service ace ignited a 3-0 run, but SCU countered with three unanswered points of its own to take back a 21-19 advantage.
Kills by Callicoat and Dianne Walter over the next three points kept the Evangels close at 22-21, but the Eagles tallied the final three points to hand MACU the 25-21 set one defeat.
Southwestern Christian started off strong in the second set, scoring six of the first eight points to hold the early four-point advantage. The Evangels struggled to close the gap to less than two until a Focker kill and service ace between an Eagles attack error trimmed the Eagles lead to one at 13-12 midway through the set.
Callicoat picked up three kills over the next five points to keep the Evangels close, but SCU three-point burst gave the Eaglessome breathing room, setting the score at 19-15. MACU put together one last push, rattling off four in a row on three Focker kills and a Ryann Hale service ace to lock the score up at 20-all.
Following a setting error, Mid-America Christian was able to tie the score once again on a Focker kill, but the Eagles once again finished strong with four unanswered to pick up a second straight 25-21 set win.
The Evangels were fired up to start the third set. After the Eagles notched two of the first three points, MACU surged in-front with five unanswered to take a 6-2 lead. Following an SCU kill, MACU strung together the most incredible run of the 2019 season.
With Hale at the service line, Mid-America Christian scored 16 consecutive points to hold its largest advantage of the year at 22-3. During the run, Hale picked up three service aces while Focker put down five kills and Bass added two more to go with an assisted block with Faith Foutch.
The Eagles tallied the next two points, but the Evangels ran away with the set on a Foutch kill and back-to-back Callicoat kills to finish off the 25-5 set three victory. SCU's five points was the fewest points MACU has allowed in a set this season, topping the eight MACU held Paul Quinn to in the third set back on Aug. 24.
The fourth set was tightly contested early with SCU scoring three of the first five, but four unanswered off of three straight Callicoat kills gave the Evangels the 6-3 advantage. Southwestern Christian stayed within striking distance until it was 12-10, but three unanswered MACU points gave the Evangels its largest lead of the set.
SCU wouldn't allow the Evangels to pull away as the Eagles rallied with a 7-1 run to reclaim the 17-16 edge before MACU swung back with three straight of their own to take back the advantage. Three of the next four went the way of the Eagles to tie the score at 20 before SCU eventually got the lead back with back-to-back kills to set the score at 23-22.
However, the Evangels would not be denied as a Focker kill and an SCU ball handling error set up Focker's set-winning kill, giving MACU the 25-23 set four victory to force a match-deciding fifth set.
After conceding the first point of the final set, the Evangels retaliated by taking four of the next five points, all of which coming off the hand of Focker to claim a 4-2 edge. Southwestern Christian tallied the next two to tie the set, but MACU once again recorded three of the next four point with Foutch tallying a pair of kills as well as an assisted block with Callicoat to reclaim a 7-5 lead. However, the Eagles tallied the next three points to go into the side change with the 8-7 advantage.
The second half of the set was drama-filled as neither team could muster back-to-back rallies until a Foutch kill and an SCU attack error set up match point for the Evangels at 14-13. However, an attack error and an Eagles kill quickly turned the tide and setup match point for SCU.
Mid-America Christian refused to go down as Callicoat put down her 19th kill of the match to lock up the score once again and Bass put MACU back in the driver's seat with a service ace to bring a third match point at 16-15.
SCU's Cashlyn Monroe helped the Eagles stave off a second match point with a kill, but the Evangels were finally able to end the thrilling match with back-to-back kills by Bass and Focker to escape from Pickens-Springer Gymnasium with an 18-16 set five victory.
Focker continues to make dents in the MACU record books. After tying Christiane Smith's record of 27 kills in her first match as an Evangel against Huston-Tillotson on Aug. 24, Focker eclipsed it with her 30-kill effort on a .289 attack percentage. Focker wasn't the only one to find her way back into the MACU record book either as Bass' career-best 48 assists tied Calle Solie for the sixth-most assists in a single match in program history as well.
On the defensive side of the net, Plunk led the MACU backline with 21 digs while Bass and Hale finished with 14 apiece. Bass, Focker and Foutch each notched three total blocks while Hale had another sensational match from the service line with four aces.
Mid-America Christian will enter the middle portion of its four-match road stretch next week as the Evangels will travel to Langston for a 7 p.m. match on Thursday, Oct. 24 before heading up to McPherson, Kan. for a 7 p.m. match on Oct. 25 against Central Christian.
