OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian volleyball team will be looking for a big time upset in its first ever Sooner Athletic Conference Semifinal as the Evangels will face off against No. 7 and top-seeded Southwestern Assemblies of God at 4 p.m. inside the Sheaffer Center in Waxahachie, Texas on Friday night.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 19-13
• Last Match: Won vs. (5) Oklahoma Panhandle State – 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 27-25) – Nov. 8, 2022 – Gaulke Activity Center (SAC Quarterfinal)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Kills: Lena Stockhammer (366), Cloie Mitchell (258), Miriam Nardi (254)
  • ATK%: Vanessa Moreira (.331), Miriam Nardi (.245), Lena Stockhammer (.174)
  • Assists: Casady McKinney (705), Lena Stockhammer (516), Marlee Hunter (124)
  • Aces: Casady McKinney (53), Sydney Martin (44), Faith Foutch (44)
  • Digs: Marlee Hunter (635), Sydney Martin (346), Casady McKinney (298)
  • Blocks: Vanessa Moreira (65), Sarah Jones (62), Lena Stockhammer (58)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is coming off its first ever Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament win after sweeping fifth-seeded Oklahoma Panhandle State in its first ever home quarterfinal match by a score of 25-12, 25-22 and 27-25.
  • In the victory, Casady McKinney put together a phenomenal overall game, tying a career high 37 assists in a three-set match while also recording 11 digs in the defense and four kills on a .267 attack percentage. Since moving to a 5-1 rotation, McKinney has been more active in the attack, recording 10 kills on a .375 hitting rate.
  • Moving to the outside hitter position, Lena Stockhammer continued to put up strong offensive numbers as she tallied a match-high 16 kills, tying her career-high in a three-set match.
  • The Evangels primarily earned the quarterfinal win due to their stingy defense as MACU held the Aggies to an .078 hitting percentage, their fourth-lowest attack rate in a single match this season.

SCOUTING REPORT
No. 7 Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas)

• Record: 30-0
• Last Match: Won vs. (8) Science & Arts (Okla.) – 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-7) – Nov. 8, 2022 – Waxahachie, Texas (SAC Quarterfinal)
• Series vs. MACU (2003-): SAGU leads 30-7
• Last Match vs. SAGU: SAGU won 3-0 (25-9, 25-19, 25-23) – Oct. 22, 2022 – Waxahachie, Texas
• Players to Watch:
  • Ava Myers – SR – OH
    • 356 Kills (3.27 K/S), .180 ATK%, 126 Digs (1.16 D/S), 47 Blocks (0.43 B/S), 33 Aces (0.30 SA/S)
  • Emma Tompkins – SR – MH
    • 325 Kills (3.07 K/S), .318 ATK%, 113 Blocks (1.07 B/S), 28 Aces (0.26 SA/S)
  • Riley Burcham – JR – S
    • 1073 Assists (9.84 A/S), 274 Digs (2.51 D/S), 29 Aces (0.27 SA/S)
  • Tessa Glick – SO – L
    • 626 Digs (5.74 D/S), 47 Aces (0.43 SA/S)
• Team Notes:
  • SAGU enters the SAC Semifinals with an unblemished record of 30-0 and are coming off a three-set sweep over eighth-seed Science & Arts in the quarterfinal on Tuesday.
  • The NAIA powerhouse program is in the midst of its third 30-plus win season in the last six years.
  • The Lady Lions are led by two of the best attackers in the SAC in Ava Myers and Emma Tompkins, who rank second and fourth in the conference in kills per set at 3.27 and 3.07. Tompkins is a lethal middle-hitter who is not only smashing the second-best attack percentage (.318) in the SAC, but also ranks second in the conference in blocks per set at 1.07.
  • The Evangels will be seeking just their third win ever inside the Sheaffer Center as MACU's last victory in Waxahachie came in a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 15, 2012. The last time the Evangels faced the Lady Lions in SAC Tournament play came in a five-set thriller at SAGU on Nov. 12, 2019 as MACU battled back from two sets down, including coming away with a 30-28 win in set four. Unfortunately, the Evangels dropped a hard-fought 15-10 fifth set to end MACU's SAC tourney run.