OKLAHOMA CITY – After playing most of its games on the road this season, the MACU volleyball team is back at home for a special weekend inside the Gaulke Activity Center as the Evangels will host Central Christian at 7 p.m. on Friday before hosting their Alumni Day match against Langston at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 6-7 (2-2 SAC)
• Last Match: Lost at No. 20 Texas Wesleyan – 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-15) – Sept. 9, 2023 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Stat Leaders:
  • Kills: Lena Stockhammer (148), Sawyer Franz (144), Sarah Jones (82)
  • ATK%: Sarah Jones (.219), Lena Stockhammer (.206), Sawyer Franz (.203)
  • Assists: Casady McKinney (397), Ludmilla Souza (64)
  • Aces: Casady McKinney (18), Marlee Hunter (15), Faith Foutch (13)
  • Digs: Marlee Hunter (210), Sawyer Franz (125), Faith Foutch (91)
  • Blocks: Sarah Jones (30), Annabeth Fehrle (19), Lauryn Walters (16)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian will be looking to snap a three-match losing streak as the Evangels are coming off a tough Texas road trip where the Evangels dropped a pair of tough three-set matches to a pair of ranked foes in No. 24 SW Assemblies of God and No. 20 Texas Wesleyan.
  • Entering the weekend as the top attacking team in the Sooner Athletic Conference, the Evangels struggled to get the attack going against two of the best defensive teams in the league, registering just 11.33 kills per set on a .083 hitting percentage while the Lady Lions and Lady Rams effectively recorded 12.67 kills per set on a .255 attack rate.
  • Even though the Evangels struggled on the road, one bright spot for MACU was the play of junior libero Marlee Hunter. The Del City, Oklahoma native put together a strong weekend in the back row, tallying 39 digs on a 6.50 per set average while also committing just one reception error on 23 tries for a .957 receive percentage.
  • On Saturday's match against Langston, Mid-America Christian will be recognizing its alumni in-attendance between the second and third set before holding an Alumni Game at 3:30 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center and an Alumni Dinner at 5 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT
Central Christian (Kan.)

• Record: 4-8 (1-3 SAC)
• Last Match: Lost at Manhattan Christian (Kan.) – 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 25-17, 25-15) – Sept. 12, 2023
• Series vs MACU (2011-): MACU leads 12-1
• Last Match vs MACU: CCCK won 3-2 (18-25, 25-17, 26-24, 25-20, 15-13) – Nov. 1, 2022 – McPherson, Kan.
• Series Streak: CCCK won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Amanda Dotter – SR – OH
    • 131 Kills (2.79 K/S), .069 ATK%, 19 Aces (0.40 SA/S), 139 Digs (2.96 D/S), 21 Blocks (0.45 B/S)
  • Zoe Smith – SO – S
    • 209 Assists (4.54 A/S), 18 Aces (0.39 SA/S), 93 Digs (2.02 D/S)
  • Jacque Freeman – SR – DS
    • 173 Digs (3.93 D/S), .958 RCV%
  • Aniya Owens – JR – RS
    • 28 Blocks (0.50 B/S), 35 Kills, .093 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • Central Christian enters the weekend with a 4-8 record and are 1-3 in Sooner Athletic Conference play through the first two weeks of league competition. The Tigers split a pair of SAC matches at home last weekend, stunning Oklahoma Panhandle State in five sets on Sept. 8, before falling in straight sets to Wayland Baptist on Sept. 9. CCCK has especially struggled on the road this season, holding just a 1-4 record in true road matches.
  • Offensively, the Tigers have struggled in the attack, hitting for the second-lowest attack percentage in the SAC at .066, but Central features a solid back row defense that is averaging 16.44 digs per set as well as a .940 team receiving percentage on serves. Central Christian is also a strong serving team in its own right, ranking second in the league in aces with 96 at a league-best 2.23 per set average.
  • The Tigers attack is led by senior outside hitter Amanda Dotter, who has recorded 131 kills on a 2.79 per set average, but is hitting just .069. However, Dotter is also the team's leader from the service line with 19 aces at a 0.40 average. The Tigers balanced back row features senior defensive specialist Jacque Freeman, who leads the squad in digs at 173 on a 3.93 dig per set rate.
  • While Mid-America Christian has dominated the all-time series, the Tigers stunned the Evangels in five sets inside Jerry Alexander Arena in McPherson in their last meeting for CCCK's first ever win against MACU. However, MACU holds an unblemished 5-0 record at home against the Tigers, dominating Central in their last meeting inside the Gaulke with a 25-12, 25-13, 25-22 victory on Oct. 1, 2022.

Langston (Okla.)

• Record: 1-10 (0-5 SAC)
• Last Match: Lost at Science & Arts (Okla.) – 3-1 (26-24, 25-20, 20-25, 25-23) – Sept. 12, 2023 – Chickasha, Okla.
• Series vs MACU (2013-): MACU leads 12-3
• Last Match vs MACU: MACU won 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-21) – Nov. 3, 2022 – Langston, Okla.
• Series Streak: MACU won 11
• Players to Watch:
  • Alycia Shaw – JR – OH
    • 60 Kills (1.94 K/S), .021 ATK%, 56 Digs (1.81 D/S)
  • Poliana West – FR – S/DS
    • 161 Assists (5.19 A/S), 45 Digs (1.45 D/S)
  • Leah McCall – FR – DS/L
    • 109 Digs (3.52 D/S), .896 RCV%
  • Brooklyn Cross – FR – MB
    • 15 Blocks (0.48 B/S), 27 Kills (0.87 K/S), .124 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • Since splitting a pair of matches against Paul Quinn (Texas) and Wiley (Texas) to start the season, Langston has had a rough go by losing its last nine matches while winning just one set during that stretch. However, the Lady Lions had an improved performance in their 3-1 loss at Science & Arts (Okla.) earlier in the week as LU not only won a set, but only lost by five or more points in each of the other three sets.
  • Langston has struggled mightily in the attack this season, recording a SAC low .047 attack percentage while notching a league-worst 7.16 kills per set. The Lady Lions have also had their problems defensively as well, tallying just 10.81 digs per set while also fielding a SAC-low .865 receive percentage.
  • The young Langston squad is led offensively by junior outside Alycia Shaw, who is registering just 60 kills (1.94 per set) on a .021 attack percentage while freshman defensive specialist and libero Leah McCall leads the back row with 109 digs at a 3.52 per set average.
  • After losing three of their first four meetings from 2013-14, Mid-America Christian has dominated the series since, winning 11 straight matches while dropping just one set during the streak. In their last meeting coming at Langston on Nov. 3, 2022, the Evangels cruised to a 25-15, 25-11, 25-21 victory inside C.F. Gayles Arena.