OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian volleyball team will be back at home this weekend as the Evangels will host Oklahoma Panhandle State at 7 p.m. on Friday before taking on SAC leader Wayland Baptist at 1 p.m. on Saturday in a pair of critical conference showdowns.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 18-6 (9-3 SAC)
• Last Match: Won at John Brown – 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 22-25, 25-14, 15-18) – Oct. 8, 2021 – Siloam Springs, Ark.
• Stat Leaders:
  • Hanna Foecker – SR – OH
    • 471 Kills, 5.12 K/S, .289 ATK%, 166 Digs, 1.80 D/S, 38 Blocks, 0.41 BLK/S, 20 Aces, 0.22 SA/S
  • Lena Stockhammer – SO – S
    • 926 Assists, 10.07 AST/S, 69 Kills, .284 ATK%, 28 Aces, 0.30 SA/S, 25 Blocks, 0.27 BLK/S
  • Maegan Plunk – SR – L
    • 466 Digs, 5.07 D/S, 54 Assists, 0.59 AST/S, 16 Aces, 0.17 SA/S
  • Allison Porter – SO – MB
    • 96 Blocks, 1.08 BLK/S, 88 Kills, .232 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is coming off its first ever win at John Brown since the two teams started facing each other in 2007. The Evangels had lost 13 straight in Siloam Springs before rallying from a set down to come away with a 3-2 victory on Oct. 8.
  • The Evangels are currently on a seven-match win streak, which is the third-longest stretch since the program joined the NAIA in 2007. The Evangels broke the record last fall when MACU strung together a nine-match win streak after dropping its 2020 season-opener. MACU put together the second-longest streak earlier this season when the Evangels won eight in a row from Aug. 27 to Sept. 10.
  • In the win against the Golden Eagles, three different Evangels reached career milestones as Hanna Foecker surpassed 2000 collegiate career kills, Maegan Plunk notched her 1500^th dig at Mid-America Christian and Kaylie Walker turned in her 1000^th career dig.
  • Allison Porter and Maddie Callicoat were enforcers at the net in the win at JBU as both recorded career-highs in blocks. Porter's 12 blocks marked the second time she reached double-digit blocks in her career while also bringing her into a tie for the fourth-most blocks in a single match during the NAIA era. Callicoat's nine blocks also surpassed her previous career-best of six turned again against Southwestern Assemblies of God on Mar. 8.

 
SCOUTING REPORT
Oklahoma Panhandle State

• Record: 15-8 (7-5 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. Uni. of the Southwest (N.M.) – 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-14) – Oct. 12, 2021 – Goodwell, Okla.
• Series vs. MACU: OPSU leads 7-5
• Last Match vs. MACU: OPSU won 3-2 (20-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-21, 16-14) – Sept. 11, 2021 – Goodwell, Okla.
• Stat Leaders:
  • Essense West – JR – OH
    • 243 Kills, 3.42 K/S, .244 ATK%, 115 Digs, 1.62 D/S, 24 Blocks, 0.34 BLK/S
  • Lesly Galarza – SR – S
    • 454 Assists, 5.97 AST/S, 139 Digs, 1.83 D/S, 17 Aces, 0.22 SA/S
  • McKenna Coppock – SO – DS
    • 202 Digs, 2.69 D/S, 34 Aces, 0.45 SA/S
  • Ebony Dykes – JR – MB
    • 54 Blocks, 0.87 BLK/S, 67 Kills, 1.08 K/S, .331 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • After being swept in straight sets at Oklahoma City on Oct. 2, Oklahoma Panhandle State has won three straight, getting a pair of sweeps at Central Christian and Langston last week before getting a 3-0 non-conference win against the University of the Southwest (N.M.) on Tuesday.
  • The Aggies feature a balanced attack with five different players averaging more than two kills per set, headlined by junior outside hitter Essense West with 243 kills at 3.42 per set and a .244 attack percentage.
  • OPSU is one of the most efficient hitting teams in the NAIA as the Aggies' .230 team attack percentage ranks 23^rd in the nation. The Aggies are also a very strong serving team as their 1.74 aces per set rate rates as the 17^th best in the nation.
  • The last two times the Evangels and Aggies faced each other, they've went down to the wire in five sets. When they last met on Sept. 11, OPSU rallied from two sets down to force a fifth set and then scored five of the final six points to steal a 16-14 win from the Evangels.

Wayland Baptist (Texas)

• Record: 17-5 (10-2 SAC)
• Last Match: Won at Central Christian – 3-0 (25-11, 25-9, 25-8) – Oct. 9, 2021 – McPherson, Kan.
• Series vs. MACU (NAIA Era): WBU leads 27-3
• Last Match vs. MACU: MACU won 3-2 (23-25, 17-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-12) – Sept. 10, 2021 – Plainview, Texas
• Stat Leaders:
  • Tatijana Markic – SR – OH
    • 235 Kills, 3.05 K/S, .212 ATK%, 124 Digs, 1.61 D/S, 32 Aces, 0.42 SA/S, 19 Blocks, 0.25 BLK/S
  • Paxton Patterson – SR – RS
    • 234 Kills, 3.08 K/S, .240 ATK%, 29 Blocks, 0.38 BLK/S
  • Lucie Mahelova – SR – S
    • 815 Assists, 11.32 AST/S, 236 Digs, 3.28 D/S, 35 Blocks, 0.49 BLK/S
  • Ariel Marquez – SR – L
    • 316 Digs, 4.16 D/S, 72 Assists, 0.95 AST/S
  • Alexa Hinojos – SO – MH
    • 52 Blocks, 0.74 BLK/S, 101 Kills, 1.44 K/S, .214 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • Ever since its lost to MACU back on Sept. 10, Wayland Baptist has been playing stellar volleyball, winning nine of its last 10 matches to sit in a tie atop of the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with a 10-2 league mark. The Pioneers only other league loss came in a three-set sweep at Oklahoma City on Oct. 1.
  • The Pioneers also feature a balanced attack with five players averaging more than two kills per set. Tatijana Markic and Paxton Patterson have been the focal points for the Pioneers offense with both players averaging more than three kills a set.
  • WBU is headlined by one of the best setters in the nation in Lucie Mahelova. Not only is Mahelova a strong distributor, ranking seventh in the NAIA in assists per set (11.32) and ninth in total assists (815), but is also stellar in the defense, ranking third on the team in both digs with 236 at 3.28 per set and total blocks with 35 at a 0.49 per set rate.
  • While Wayland Baptist has had the Evangels number since the two teams started playing each other in 2005, Mid-America Christian has fared well against the Pioneers in recent years. Since the program picked up its first win against the WBU in 2019, the Evangels have taken three of the last five, including pulling out a thrilling 3-2 victory in their last match in Plainview, Texas on Sept. 10.