OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian volleyball team won its third straight match at home in 2019 as the Evangels defeated Central Christian 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-12) on Saturday afternoon at the Gaulke Activity Center.

Junior outside hitter Hannah Focker led the Mid-America Christian (7-4, 5-1 Sooner Athletic Conference) attack with 17 kills on a .393 hitting percentage to go with three service aces while Ryann Hale tallied a team-high 20 assists. Maegan Plunk was strong on the defensive end for the Evangels, registering 18 digs on a six digs per set average.

Central Christian (3-11, 0-6 SAC) held the early momentum in the first set as the Tigers were able to jump out to an early 5-2 advantage. After trading a pair of points, the Evangels were able to chip away at the Lady Tigers lead with a 5-1 run that featured a Brower kill and block to reclaim an 9-8 edge.

CCCK fought back to take an 11-10 lead, but it would be the Lady Tigers final lead of the set as the Evangels sprinted back out in-front with a 4-0 run. A pair of kills from Dianne Walter as well as kills from Focker and Maddie Callicoat prompted the run, making it a 14-11 match and forced Central Christian to call a timeout.

The Evangels maintained a three-point edge until it was a 20-17 score, the Evangels closed out strong by tallying five unanswered to hold on for the opening set win that was capped off on a Kaylie Walker service ace.

After conceding the first point of the second set, MACU rattled off seven straight that included two Focker kills, a Skylar Brower kill and a Plunk service ace to set the score at 7-1. Central Christian gradually worked its way back in the set, closing the gap to 12-11 at the midway point.

However, the Evangels answered the gut check with a dominant finish to the set, scoring 13 of the last 14 points to pull away with the 25-12 set two win. Mid-America Christian recorded 15 kills on a .370 hitting percentage while the Evangels defensively frustrated the Lady Tigers, hold them to a -.042 percentage for the set.

MACU was even more dominant in the third set, starting out with a 12-2 run that included a stretch of seven unanswered. During the 7-0 run, Focker notched five points herself, three off of service aces and two off kills while Rebecca Lindley provided a pair of kills off the bench.

After trading the next three points, MACU rattled off another six unanswered to claim its largest lead of the match at 19-4. The Lady Tigers were able to cut into the Evangels lead down the stretch, but Mid-America Christian's lead was too large as the Evangels held on for the 25-12 final set victory. The Evangels attack was too much for Central Christian, hitting a blistering .458 in the set.

Brower was effective on the attack for the Evangels, finishing with seven kills on a season-high .750 attack percentage along with three total blocks while Walker provided a spark from the service line for MACU, recording three aces.

Mid-America Christian will close out its three-match home stand next Friday as the Evangels will host the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27 before swinging out for a road match at John Brown, starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday.