OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian volleyball team dominated on both sides of the net in a non-conference matchup against Southwestern Christian on Monday as it came away with a three-set sweep over the Eagles at the Gaulke Activity Center.
 
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 3, Southwestern Christian 0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-15)
  • Mid-America Christian (16-13)
  • Southwestern Christian (3-12)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Hanna Foecker – 15 Kills, .286 ATK%, 8 Digs, 1 SA
• Morgan Van Meir – 30 Assists, 10 Digs, 3 Kills
• Faith Foutch – 14 Digs, 4 Kills, 1 Block, 1 SA
• Kaylie Walker – 10 Digs, 3 SA, 1 Kill
• Maegan Plunk – 13 Digs, 3 Assists, 2 SA

MATCH SUMMARY

• Set One
  • Despite Southwestern Christian jumping out to a 6-4 advantage through the first 10 rallies, three straight kills from Hanna Foecker, Desiree Brewer and Tiana Nihipali set the stage for a 9-2 Evangels run, forcing the Eagles to take a timeout after MACU gained a 13-8 edge.
  • Even though the Evangels built a seven-point cushion over the next 12 rallies, SCU went on a late 5-1 run to pull it to within three at 21-18.
  • Mid-America Christian finished the set strong by scoring four of the final five points, getting kills Faith Foutch and Kaylie Walker before Foecker slammed down the set-winning kill on the right side of the back row to secure the 25-19 win.
• Set Two
  • The Evangels had the momentum right out of the gate, scoring six of the first seven points, featuring a pair of kills from Nihipali as well as a Foecker kill and Walker service ace.
  • Mid-America Christian utilized a 10-3 run midway through the set to build a 12-point advantage at 21-9.
  • After trading the next four rallies, Southwestern Christian rattled off three in a row to close it to a single-digit deficit, but the Evangels were able to force SCU into committing back-to-back errors to come away with the 25-14 victory.
• Set Three
  • The two teams traded small runs in the early going with neither team gaining more than a three-point lead as the Evangels held a slim 10-9 advantage heading into the midway point.
  • Foecker's kill following an SCU attack error ignited a six unanswered run by the Evangels, allowing MACU to gain control of the set.
  • Southwestern Christian rattled off four straight during a 6-2 run to pull it back to within three at 18-15.
  • After a service error committed by Aubrie Sanders put the serve back on MACU's side, the Evangels closed out with seven straight points on five kills, four of which coming from Foecker as well as a Foutch service ace to close out a dominant 25-15 set three win.

MATCH NOTES

• After the two teams hit somewhat evenly in the first set with the Evangels getting 15 kills on a .209 attack percentage to 11 kills on a .194 clip for the Eagles, MACU held SCU to just 12 kills combined over the next two sets for a .000 attack percentage while MACU hit for .171 clip over the same stretch.
• The biggest differences in the match were made in the defense and the service line as MACU recorded 66 digs to just 45 for the Eagles. From behind the line, the Evangels recorded eight aces and committed just one service error while SCU finished with just three aces and committed 12 errors.
• Hanna Foecker led a balanced MACU attack with 15 kills on a .286 attack percentage. Five different Evangels finished with four or more kills in the match.
• Morgan Van Meir turned in her seventh double-double of the season with 30 assists to go with 10 digs while also finishing with three kills.
• Faith Foutch led four Evangels with double-digit digs with 14 to go with four kills, an ace and a block.
• With three service aces, Kaylie Walker moved into a three-way tie for the fourth-most service aces in a single season with 47, joining Hannah Luedtke (2015) and Jordan Batley (2011) and is just one behind Foecker's third-best mark set last season. Walker also overtook Calle Solie for the third-most career aces with 94, just six back of Taryn Walker for second on MACU's NAIA era list.
• By getting their 16^th win, the Evangels have tied the 2015 team for the second-most wins recorded in a single season since joining the NAIA in 2007. MACU is currently just two wins away from matching the 2012 team that finished with an 18-16 overall mark.

NEXT UP

• Mid-America Christian will play the second of its four-match home stretch on Wednesday as the Evangels will host the University of the Southwest (N.M.) for the second time this season. The match is slated for a 6 p.m. start inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
• The Evangels will be holding a Senior Night ceremony for the Mustangs after the USW volleyball program was not allowed to host any home matches for the 2021 season.