OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Volleyball team will look to get back on the right track in the middle of its five-match home stand as the Evangels welcome Sterling for a 6 p.m. first serve inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Wednesday night.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 4-4 (0-2 SAC)
• Last Match: Lost vs. Texas Wesleyan – 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-14) – Sept. 7, 2024 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Stat Leaders:
  • Kills: Miriam Nardi (76, 2.71 K/S), Alica Obusekova (67, 2.39 K/S), Lena Stockhammer (44, 1.57 K/S)
  • Attack Percentage (%, K-E-A): Sarah Jones-Stafford (.340, 42-6-106), Annabeth Fehrle (.309, 34-9-81), Miriam Nardi (.243, 76-24-214)
  • Assists: Cassady McKinney (156, 5.57 A/S), Madison Lee (94, 4.27 A/S)
  • Aces: Sydney Martin (14, 0.50 SA/S), Ryley Bowden (12, 0.43 SA/S), Casady McKinney (11, 0.39 SA/S)
  • Digs: Ryley Bowden (121, 4.32 D/S), Alica Obusekova (103, 3.68 D/S), Sydney Martin (66, 2.36 D/S)
  • Receive Percentage (%, RE-R): Ryley Bowden (.951, 9-184), Alica Obusekova (.943, 8-141), Miriam Nardi (.902, 5-51)
  • Blocks: Sarah Jones-Stafford (15, 0.54 B/S), Natalia Rodriguez (11, 0.73 B/S), Lena Stockhammer (11, 0.39 B/S)
• Team Notes:
  • Despite coming up short to the two top teams in the Sooner Athletic Conference in its home and league openers last weekend, Mid-America Christian put together an outstanding defensive effort as the Evangels held Nelson to only a .155 attack percentage while Texas Wesleyan could only muster a .168 against MACU.
  • On the defensive side, a few of the bright spots were the play of freshman middle blocker Natalia Rodriguez in the front row as well as juniors Ryley Bowden and Alica Obusekova in the back row. Filling in for one of MACU's best players in the early season Annabeth Fehrle due to injury, Rodriguez looked very sharp as she tallied six block assists against Nelson and a solo block against the Lady Rams. The San Antonio product also notched 10 kills on a solid .258 attack percentage in the attack.
  • In the back row, Bowden put together two of her best performances of the season as she tallied 18 digs and three aces against the Lady Lions before coming back with a 24-dig performance in the defeat to TXWES. Meanwhile, Obusekova notched her second and third-straight double-digit dig performances, including MACU's season-high 28 against Texas Wesleyan.
  • The Evangels will also look to continue to get stellar production from the right side as Miriam Nardi and Lauryn Walters are coming off solid weekends. In MACU's two matches against NU and TXWES, Nardi notched 23 kills on a .288 attack percentage while Walters batted 18 kills on a .286 clip, including a season-high 14 on an efficient .364 rate against the Lady Rams.

SCOUTING REPORT
Sterling (Kan.)

• Record: 7-4
• Last Match: Lost vs. William Penn (Iowa) – 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-17, 25-20) – Sept. 7, 2024 – Salina, Kan.
• Series vs MACU (2005-): SC leads 5-2
• Last Match vs MACU: SC won 3-2 (25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 12-25, 15-13) – Sept. 24, 2022 – Bartlesville, Okla.
• Series Streak: SC won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Aliya McClanahan – SO – MH
    • 99 Kills (3.00 K/S), .375 ATK%, 34 Blocks (1.03 B/S)
  • Aubrey Young – SR – S
    • 277 Assists (8.15 A/S), 22 Aces (0.65 SA/S), 24 Kills (0.71 K/S), .328 ATK%, 83 Digs, 2.44 D/S
  • Makenna Linden – SR – DS
    • 151 Digs (5.03 D/S), .922 RCV%, 11 Aces (0.37 SA/S)
• Team Notes:
  • After opening the season with seven-straight wins, Sterling has hit a bit of a slump the last few weeks as the Warriors have lost the last four, including all three of its matches at the KWU Coyote Classic last weekend against Stephens (Mo.), Xavier (La.) and William Penn (Iowa).
  • A large sum of the Sterling's attack this season has come from its sophomore middle hitter in Aliya McClanahan, who by far and away holds the team-lead in kills (99) on a strong .375 attack percentage while also serving as the team's leading middle blocker with 34 rejections (1.03 per set).
  • Primarily running a 5-1 rotation, senior setter Aubrey Young will lead the attack as she comes into the match averaging 8.15 assists per set while Makenna Linden has been stellar in the back row for the Warriors, averaging 5.03 digs per set.
  • Mid-America Christian will be seeking to reverse its fortunes against Sterling as the Warriors hold a 5-2 lead in the all-time series. However, the Evangels have been extremely competitive in splitting the last two meetings as MACU swept SC in straight-sets in North Newton, Kansas (Bethel) on Sept. 15, 2021 before dropping a heartbreaking five-set battle in Bartlesville, Oklahoma (Oklahoma Wesleyan) on Sept. 24, 2022. Overall, MACU is 1-1 against the Warriors inside the Gaulke Activity Center and will be facing their foe for the first time inside Gaulke since 2011.