OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian volleyball team opened a three-match home stand in fantastic fashion as the Evangels swept Langston in straight sets, 25-19, 25-18, 25-12 on Thursday night in the Gaulke Activity Center.
Junior outside hitter Hannah Focker led a balanced MACU attack with nine kills and eight digs while Skylar Brower finished with seven kills on a red-hot .600 attack percentage. Senior setter Alexa Bass recorded 21 assists, averaging seven assists per set while Maegan Plunk finished with a team-high 12 digs to lead the Evangels' defensive efforts.
Mid-America Christian (6-4, 4-0 Sooner Athletic Conference) got off to a fast start in the opening set after conceding the first point, rattling off seven of the next eight points. Elena Hadzhieva recorded four of the Evangels' six kills during the run while Skylar Brower and Maddie Callicoat each picked up a kill.
The Evangels maintained a seven-point edge until the score was 13-6, but Langston (1-12, 0-5 SAC) clawed back with six unanswered to make it a one-point game. Focker ignited an Evangels rally of her own with a kill as MACU rattled off a 7-1 run to grow the lead back to 20-13, eventually holding on for the 25-19 set one win.
Mid-America Christian started off strong in the second set, jumping out to a 10-4 lead with six of the points coming via the kill. However, Langston didn't go down without a fight, scoring seven of the next eight points to tie the game up at 11-all, forcing MACU head coach Kevin Fitzgibbon to call a timeout.
After trading the next four points, the Evangels went on a huge 8-0 run during Bass' serve, featuring a pair of kills by Focker and Faith Foutch to set the score at 21-13. The Lady Lions could not cut into the MACU lead down the stretch as the Evangels closed out the set with a 25-18 win.
Both teams traded early runs in the third and final set to make it 5-4 before MACU extended its lead with a 5-1 run to set the score at 10-5. Langston fought back to close the gap to three at 11-8, but the Evangels strung together a response of their own, tallying five of the next six points to claim a 16-9 advantage.
Following a pair of Lady Lions points, Focker blistered Langston from the service line with three consecutive aces during a 5-0 run, stretching the Evangels' edge to 21-11. MACU only conceded one more point the remainder of the set, wrapping up the match with four unanswered to capture the 25-12 set win.
Mid-America Christian will look to stay unbeaten at home as the Evangels return to the court on Saturday, Sept. 21 for a 1 p.m. match against Central Christian (Kan.).
