OKLAHOMA CITY – After getting back to its winning ways with a pair of home three-set sweeps last week, the MACU volleyball team will look to try and maintain its momentum when it hits the road to take on its western-most Sooner Athletic Conference foes this weekend.

The Evangels will first battle Oklahoma Panhandle State inside Anchor D Arena in Goodwell on Friday night at 6 p.m. before heading to Plainview, Texas on Saturday for a 1 p.m. match inside the Hutcherson Center against Wayland Baptist.
 
SEASON SUMMARY

• Record: 8-7 (4-2 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. Langston (Okla.) – 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-10) – Sept. 16, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Stat Leaders:
  • Kills: Sawyer Franz (174, 3.35 K/S), Lena Stockhammer (165, 3.17 K/S), Sarah Jones (91, 1.75 K/S)
  • ATK% (Min. 3 ATK/S): Sawyer Franz (.227), Sarah Jones (.221), Lena Stockhammer (.204)
  • Assists: Casady McKinney (413, 8.26 A/S), Ludmilla Souza (114, 3.35 A/S)
  • Aces: Marlee Hunter (22, 0.42 SA/S), Casady McKinney (21, 0.42 SA/S), Faith Foutch (18, 0.46 SA/S)
  • Digs: Marlee Hunter (233, 4.48 D/S), Sawyer Franz (134, 2.58 D/S), Casady McKinney (96, 1.92 D/S)
  • Blocks: Sarah Jones (35, 0.67 B/S), Annabeth Fehrle (23, 0.44 B/S), Lauryn Walters (17, 0.45 B/S)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian bounced back from a three-match losing streak with a pair of three-set sweeps over Central Christian and Langston last week. The Evangels faced just one tight set in the two matches against the Tigers and Lady Lions, but MACU was able to thoroughly dominate every other set after grinding out the 27-25 opening set win against the Tigers.
  • After putting together her best week as an Evangel, freshman outside hitter Sawyer Franz was selected as the Sooner Athletic Conference Attacker of the Week after closing out the week with 30 kills on a .387 attack percentage. In the win against CCCK, Franz notched 14 kills on a .367 hitting clip before putting together her best career match against Langston, slamming down 16 kills on a career-best .406 hitting clip.
  • Franz is currently boasting the best kills per set rate (3.36) in the SAC on-top of also ranking in the top five in attack percentage (.227, 4^th).
  • Heading into the weekend, Mid-America Christian sits in a three-way tie for third in the SAC standings alongside Oklahoma City and Wayland Baptist.

SCOUTING REPORT
Oklahoma Panhandle State

• Record: 3-7 (2-4 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. Southwestern Christian (Okla.) – 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-16) – Sept. 16, 2023 – Goodwell, Okla.
• Series vs MACU (2008-): Series Tied 8-8
• Last Match vs MACU: MACU won 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 27-25) – Nov. 8, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center (SAC Quarterfinal)
• Series Streak: MACU won 2
• Players to Watch:
  • Bryanna Rosario – SO – OH
    • 96 Kills (2.40 K/S), .201 ATK%, 97 Digs (2.42 D/S), 16 Aces (0.40 SA/S)
  • Mia Sanchez – SO – S
    • 273 Assists (7.00 A/S), 85 Digs (2.18 D/S)
  • Kensey Clifton – SO – DS
    • 146 Digs (3.74 D/S), .909 RCV%, 18 Aces (0.46 SA/S), 37 Assists (0.97 A/S)
  • Alanah Best – SO – MB
    • 27 Blocks (0.68 B/S), 55 Kills (1.38 K/S), .301 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • Oklahoma Panhandle State is coming off a split of its SAC matches last week. After falling 3-1 (25-23, 25-12, 23-25, 26-24) at Wayland Baptist on Sept. 13, the Aggies dominated Southwestern Christian on their home floor on Sept. 16 with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-16) sweep.
  • In the attack, OPSU ranks in the middle of the pack in the league with the sixth-best hitting clip at .145 and are notching the eighth-most kills per set at 9.47 while defensively, teams have been able to average 11.78 kills per set on a .180 hitting clip against the Aggies.
  • Under first-year head coach Nick Serowski, the Aggies have been getting some solid production out of Bryanna Rosario in the attack, averaging 2.40 kills per set on a .201 attack percentage. In limited attacks in the middle, sophomore middle blocker Alanah Best has been hitting for a very strong .301 attack percentage while leading the team in blocks with 27.
  • Even though the series is deadlocked at eight wins apiece, Mid-America Christian has fared better in the series of late by winning the last two in straight sets, including defeating Oklahoma Panhandle State in the SAC Quarterfinals for the program's first ever SAC Tournament win. However, the Evangels will be looking snap a three-match losing streak inside Anchor D Arena with the team's last win in the venue coming on Sept. 7, 2019.

Wayland Baptist

• Record: 5-6 (4-2 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. Southwestern Christian (Okla.) – 3-1 (25-16, 22-25, 25-18, 25-21) – Sept. 15, 2023 – Plainview, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2004-): WBU leads 29-7
• Last Match vs MACU: MACU won 3-1 (26-24, 27-29, 25-23, 25-21) – Oct. 8, 2022 – Chickasha, Okla.
• Series Streak: MACU won 5
• Players to Watch:
  • Fade Ogunbade – SO – OH
    • 104 Kills (2.81 K/S), .235 ATK%, 36 Blocks (0.97 B/S)
  • Valentina Bozzato – FR – S
    • 97 Assists (4.41 A/S), 36 Kills (1.64 K/S), .095 ATK%, 10 Aces (0.45 SA/S), 57 Digs (2.59 D/S)
  • Brenna Daniel – SR – L
    • 173 Digs (4.44 D/S), .885 RCV%
• Team Notes:
  • After dropping back-to-back matches against Oklahoma City and John Brown at home on Sept. 1-2, Wayland Baptist has put together four straight victories with the Pioneers coming off a 3-1 win over Southwestern Christian on Sept. 15.
  • While Wayland Baptist ranks just seventh in the SAC in attack percentage at .145, the Pioneers have been performing better in conference play with the fifth-best attack rate at .175 against league foes. WBU is a solid team in the defense with a 17.08 digs per set average, but have struggled a bit in serve receive with just a .901 reception percentage.
  • Even though WBU has struggled a bit in the attack, the Pioneers have gotten some strong production from outside hitter Fade Ogunbade. The sophomore starter is averaging 2.81 kills per set on a solid .235 attack percentage and is also a stellar blocker with 36 rejections at a 0.97 per set rate. WBU has also been getting great production from freshman setter Valentina Bozzato as of late as she was named the SAC Setter of the Week last week.
  • Even though Wayland Baptist has a commanding lead on the all-time series, Mid-America Christian has owned the series since 2019 with the Evangels winning seven of the last nine meetings. Last year, MACU and Wayland Baptist played two very competitive match as the Evangels rallied for a 3-2 (17-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 15-5) win in Plainview on Sept. 2 before battling out a 3-1 (26-24, 27-29, 25-23, 25-21) victory at the USAO Fieldhouse in Chickasha, Oklahoma on Oct. 8.