OKLAHOMA CITY – After going 3-1 at the Hastings College Classic over the weekend, Mid-America Christian returns home for a tri-match as the Evangels host Oklahoma Wesleyan and Southwestern (Kan.) on Wednesday. MACU will take on the Eagles at 3 p.m. before closing out with a 7 p.m. match against the Moundbuilders. Southwestern and Oklahoma Wesleyan will compete in the 5 p.m. contest.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 5-2
• Last Match: Won vs. Presentation (S.D) – 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-23)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Kills: Lena Stockhammer (67), Miriam Nardi (65), Lauryn Walters (53)
  • ATK% (K-E-TA, ATK%): Miriam Nardi (65-17-121, .397), Vanessa Moreira (40-10-93, .323), Annabeth Fehrle (45-27-114, .158)
  • Assists: Lena Stockhammer (137), Casady McKinney (125)
  • Aces: Faith Foutch (17), Casady McKinney (10), Lena Stockhammer (9)
  • Digs: Marlee Hunter (95), Sydney Martin (53), Faith Foutch (43)
  • Blocks: Miriam Nardi (17), Vanessa Moreira (16), Lena Stockhammer (12)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian had a strong showing at the Hastings College Classic last week, picking up a trio of three-set sweeps and went 3-1 overall the four-match event.
  • The Evangels got a stellar performance out of sophomore middle blocker Miriam Nardi, who was named the Sooner Athletic Conference Attacker of the Week after finishing the event with 44 kills on a .473 attack percentage to go with seven total blocks.
  • MACU was especially solid on the defensive side of the net, limiting three of its four opponents less than a .120 attack percentage, which included holding York (Neb.) to a negative hitting clip at -.022 (21-23-92)
  • The Evangels' success thus far has come in the attack and from scoring on-service, as MACU is out-hitting opponents with 327 kills on a .202 attack percentage to just 164 kills on a .140 clip for the opposition. While MACU is trying to shore up some early season errors from service, the Evangels have still recorded the 11^th-most aces in the NAIA with 62 on the 21^st-best per set rate (2.38) and have only committed 42 reception errors for a .917 receive percentage.
  • So far through the first two weeks, MACU has featured a very balanced attack with six different players recording 40 or more kills and averaging 1.5 kills per set and three averaging more than two per set. Last season, the Evangels only had four players scoring more than 1.5 kills per set and just one (Hanna Foecker) tallied more than two kills per set.
  • One area that has helped MACU from the service line is the play of senior defensive specialist Faith Foutch. So far this season, Foutch ranks ninth in the NAIA in total aces (17) while her 0.68 per set average is the highest in the SAC.

SCOUTING REPORT
Oklahoma Wesleyan

• Record: 8-1
• Last Match: Won vs. Benedictine (Kan.) – 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-18) – Aug. 27, 2022 – Marshall, Mo.
• Series vs. MACU (2003-): MACU leads 14-8
• Last Match vs. MACU: OKWU won 3-2 (25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 15-7) – Aug. 19, 2022 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Players to Watch:
  • Lauren McKinney – SR – OPP
    • 108 Kills, 3.08 K/S, .278 ATK%, 17 Blocks (0.56 BLK/S)
  • Sydney Collins – FR – S
    • 145 Assists (5.80 A/S), 57 Digs (2.28 D/S)
  • Andjela Micunovic – SR – L
    • 111 Digs (5.05 D/S), 7 Aces (0.32 SA/S)
  • Tijana Stojilkovic – FR – MB
    • 29 Blocks (0.85 BLK/S), 29 Kills, .294 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • Oklahoma Wesleyan went 3-1 at the Missouri Valley Invitational last weekend, picking up victories over Graceland (Iowa), Culver-Stockton (Mo.) and Benedictine (Kan.) with the lone loss being a hard-fought five-set match to host Missouri Valley.
  • Lauren McKinney comes into the tri-match ranking second in the KCAC in kills with 108 on a 3.08 per set rate and a .278 attack percentage.
  • Andjela Micunovic enters the tri-match as one of three players averaging more than five digs per set, ranking third at a 5.05 per set rate.

Southwestern (Kan.)

• Record: 1-3
• Last Match: Lost vs. Mount Mercy (Iowa) – 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-6) – Aug. 27, 2022 – Sioux City, Iowa
• Series vs. MACU (2003-): SWC leads 4-1
• Last Match vs. MACU: SWC won 3-1 – Sept. 21, 2018 – Winfield, Kan.
• Players to Watch:
  • Cierra Harrison – JR - OH
    • 26 Kills (2.17 K/S), .246 ATK%,
  • Sierra Nolin – SR - S
    • 51 Assists (4.25 A/S), 46 Digs (3.83 D/S),
  • Sophia Wicker – JR - L
    • 86 Digs (7.17 D/S), 4 Aces (0.33 SA/S)
  • Jayda Brittenum – FR - MB
    • 4 Blocks (0.50 BLK/S)
• Team Notes:
  • After opening the season with a three-set sweep over Peru State (Neb.), Southwestern had a tough showing at the Briar Cliff Invitational over the weekend, dropping all three of its matches against Briar Cliff (25-16, 26-24, 25-19), Valley City State (25-22, 25-16, 28-26) and Mount Mercy (25-21, 27-25, 25-6).
  • The Moundbuilders have struggled in the attack so far in the early season, averaging just 9.50 kills per set on a .070 attack percentage.
  • SWC is led defensively by one of the best liberos in the country this season, Sophia Wicker. Currently, Wicker leads the NAIA in digs per set (7.17) and ranks 11^th in total digs with 86.
  • Mid-America Christian will be facing the Moundbuilders for the first time in nearly four years and it will be just the second time the two teams will have played each other inside the Gaulke Activity Center.