OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian will be looking to carry its momentum in its first Sooner Athletic Conference road matches of the season this weekend as the Evangels will head to Plainview, Texas to take on Wayland Baptist before traveling to Goodwell, Okla. to take on Oklahoma Panhandle State. MACU will take on the Pioneers on Friday at 7 p.m. before facing the Aggies at noon on Saturday.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT (2021)

• Record: 8-3 (2-0 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. Centenary (La.) – 3-0 (25-9, 25-5, 25-11) – Sept. 3 – Batesville, Ark.
• Stat Leaders:
  • Hanna Foecker – SR - OH
    • 214 Kills, 5.10 K/S, .309 ATK%, 9 Aces, 79 Digs, 1.88 D/S, 18 Blocks, 0.43 BLK/S
  • Lena Stockhammer – SO – S
    • 400 Assists, 9.52 AST/S, 16 Aces, 0.38 SA/S, 77 Digs, 1.83 D/S, 14 Blocks
  • Maegan Plunk – SR – L
    • 210 Digs, 5.00 D/S
  • Allison Porter – SO – MB
    • 43 Blocks, 1.08 BLK/S, 31 Kills
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is coming off a stellar performance at the Highlander Invitational hosted by Lyon in Batesville, Ark. last weekend. The Evangels picked up a big time 3-1 win over College of the Ozarks (Mo.) on Sept. 3, a team that won the 2019 NCCAA Division I National Championship.
  • The Evangels have won seven straight matches since their season-opener at the KCAC Fall Fling.
  • For the third time in her illustrious career, Hanna Foecker was named the NAIA Attacker of the Week after finishing the 6-0 week with 126 kills, averaging 6.30 kills per set at a .412 attack percentage. Foecker became the first Evangels player to garner an NAIA Player of the Week honor last season when she earned the Week 2 and Week 4 honors.
  • Foecker's week was record-setting, as tied her own program record 30 kills in the win over College of the Ozarks, shattering the 14-year four-set match record held by Jessica Chestnut. Foecker also notched the second-most kills in a three-set match with 22 in the win over Jarvis Christian, while her 17 kills on a .708 attack percentage was the eighth-highest clip in program history.
  • For the first time this season, the Evangels had two players named to the SAC Player of the Week award as Maegan Plunk joined Foecker as the league's Defender of the Week. To add to the list of awards, Foecker was also selected as the NCCAA Student-Athlete of the Week.
  • Heading into the weekend, Foecker leads the NAIA in both kills (214) and kills per set (5.10).

SCOUTING REPORT
Wayland Baptist (Texas)

• Record: 8-3 (2-0 SAC)
• Last Match: Lost vs. Lubbock Christian (Texas) – 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-22) – Sept. 7 – Plainview, Texas
• Series History – WBU leads 27-2
• Last Match vs. MACU:  WBU won 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 26-24) – Mar. 6, 2021 – Oklahoma City, Okla. (Gaulke Activity Center)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Paxton Patterson – SR – RS
    • 112 Kills, 2.87 K/S, .238 ATK%, 8 Aces, 35 Digs, 16 Blocks, 0.41 BLK/S
  • Tatijana Markic – SR – OH
    • 108 Kills, 2.77 K/S, .164 ATK%, 17 Aces, 0.44 SA/S, 84 Digs, 2.15 D/S,
  • Lucie Mahelova – SR – S
    • 435 Assists, 11.15 AST/S, 114 Digs, 2.92 D/S, 18 BLK, 0.46 BLK/S
  • Ariel Marquez – SR – DS
    • 155 Digs, 4.08 D/S, 7 Aces
  • Jayla Schultz – SO – MB
    • 30 Blocks, 0.77 BLK/S, 78 Kills, 2.00 K/S, .227 ATK%, 8 Aces
• Team Notes:
  • Wayland Baptist is coming off having its seven-match winning streak snapped in a home loss to NCAA Division II Lubbock Christian as the Roadrunners won in straight sets.
  • The Pioneers rank as one of the top teams in the NAIA in assists per set (12.87, 10^th) and kills per set (13.64, 14^th).
  • WBU features a balanced attack at the net with five different players averaging more than two kills per set. Senior right side hitter Paxton Patterson leads the way with 112 on a .238 attack percentage.
  • Senior setter Lucie Mahelova ranks fourth in the NAIA in assists per set at 11.15, tallying 435 thus far on the season.
  • Wayland Baptist and Mid-America Christian are two of just four teams still undefeated in Sooner Athletic Conference play, alongside Oklahoma Panhandle State and Southwestern Assemblies of God.
  • While Wayland Baptist has dominated the all-time series, the Evangels have went toe-to-toe with the Pioneers in the last two seasons, splitting the last four meetings. Despite losing both matchups during the 2020-21 season, MACU played Wayland Baptist close in both meetings.

Oklahoma Panhandle State

• Record: 8-3 (2-0 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. Central Christian (Kan.) – 3-0 (25-12, 25-9, 25-12) – Sept. 4 – Goodwell, Okla.
• Series History – OPSU leads 6-5
• Last Match vs. MACU:  OPSU won 3-2 (25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 15-12) – Mar. 5, 2021 – Oklahoma City, Okla. (Gaulke Activity Center)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Essense West – JR - OH
    • 144 Kills, 3.60 K/S, .246 ATK%, 7 Aces, 59 Digs, 1.48 D/S
  • McKenna Coppock – SO – DS
    • 21 Aces, 0.51 SA/S, 60 Digs, 1.46 D/S
  • Lesly Galarza – SR - S
    • 234 Assists, 5.57 AST/S, 9 Aces, 80 Digs, 1.90 D/S
  • Gracie Soza – SO - L
    • 95 Digs, 2.26 D/S, 20 Assists, 19 Aces, 0.45 SA/S
  • Ebony Dykes – JR - MB
    • 36 Blocks, 1.00 BLK/S, 21 Assists, 31 Kills, .310 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • Oklahoma Panhandle State comes into the weekend as one of only four teams undefeated in Sooner Athletic Conference play after defeating Langston 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-19) on Sept. 3 and Central Christian 3-0 (25-12, 25-9, 25-12) on Sept. 4.
  • The Aggies have been one of the most proficient teams in the NAIA from the service line, as their 99 aces are the seventh most in the nation while also ranking 18^th in the NAIA in hitting percentage at .248.
  • Junior outside hitter Essense West leads the OPSU attack with 144 kills, averaging 3.60 per set on a .246 attack percentage.
  • The Evangels will be looking to snap a two-match losing streak to the Aggies, but the last time the two teams met on Mar. 5, MACU battled back from two sets to down before losing a five-set thriller in the Gaulke Activity Center.