OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Volleyball team is bracing for a pair of challenging contest for its first Sooner Athletic Conference road matches of the season as the Evangels head to Siloam Springs, Arkansas on Friday for a 7 p.m. match against John Brown inside Bill George Arena. MACU will then skip over to Point Lookout, Missouri on Saturday for a 1 p.m. match against College of the Ozarks inside Keeter Gymnasium.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 6-5 (2-2 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. Langston (Okla.) – 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-20) – Sept. 14, 2024 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Stat Leaders:
  • Kills: Miriam Nardi (111, 2.92 K/S), Alica Obusekova (87, 2.29 K/S)
  • Attack Percentage (%, K-E-A): Sarah Jones-Stafford (.359, 54-7-131), Miriam Nardi (.263, 111-36-285)
  • Assists: Casady McKinney (225, 5.92 A/S), Madison Lee (122 (3.81 A/S)
  • Aces: Casady McKinney (15, 0.39 SA/S), Ryley Bowden (15, 0.39 SA/S)
  • Digs: Ryley Bowden (154, 4.05 D/S), Alica Obusekova (132, 3.47 D/S)
  • Receive Percentage (%, RE-R): Ryley Bowden (.935, 14-216), Alica Obusekova (.934, 13-198)
  • Blocks: Sarah Jones-Stafford (20, 0.54 B/S), Miriam Nardi (17, 0.45 B/S)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian got back to .500 in SAC play on Saturday as the Evangels swept Langston inside the Gaulke Activity Center. In the win, MACU once again put together an overall strong defensive performance, holding the Lady Lions to just a .040 attack percentage while MACU hit .240 at a team.
  • With the victory, MACU head coach Holly McKamie made history as she became the first Evangels coach in the NAIA Era (2007-present) to record 100 career wins. Currently in her fifth season with the program, McKamie has amassed a 100-58 (.633) record while finishing with 19 or more wins in each of her first four seasons with the program, which includes a 30-win season (30-9) during the 2021 campaign.
  • Before facing Central Christian and Langston last weekend, the Evangels were struggling in the attack, mustering just 12.19 kills per set on a .171 attack percentage while the Evangels against the Tigers and Lady Lions combined for a 12.83 kill-per-set average on a .309 attack percentage. Meanwhile, the MACU defense, which was solidly allowing just 11.78 terminations a set on a .159 hitting clip entering the weekend allowed just 7.17 kills on a phenomenal .011 attack rate.
  • The balance in the attack was key for MACU as five different players averaged 1.8 kills per set with all five players hitting .250 or better. Two players that had struggled to find their swing through the first three weeks found it in a big way as Lena Stockhammer notched 16 kills on a .316 attack percentage while Alica Obusekova notched 15 terminations on a .309 hitting clip.

SCOUTING REPORT
John Brown (Ark.)

• Record: 4-9 (3-2 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. College of the Ozarks (Mo.) – 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 24-26, 25-15) – Sept. 18, 2024 – Siloam Springs, Ark.
• Series vs MACU (2007-): JBU leads 25-7
• Last Match vs MACU: MACU won 3-2 (25-22, 25-15, 20-25, 20-25, 15-7) – Nov. 3, 2023 – Siloam Springs, Ark.
• Series Streak: MACU won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Savanna Riney – SR – OH
    • 128 Kills (2.67 K/S), .190 ATK%, 53 Digs (1.10 D/S), 20 Blocks (0.42 B/S)
  • Taylor Golmen – SR – MB
    • 105 Kills (2.23 K/S), .289 ATK%, 29 Blocks (0.62 B/S)
  • Emma DeSanti – SR – S
    • 197 Assists (4.58 A/S), 31 Kills (0.72 K/S), 81 Digs (1.88 D/S)
  • Julie Milligan – SR – DS/L
    • 246 Digs (5.13 D/S), .956 RCV%, 16 Aces (0.33 SA/S)
  • Erin Mullins – SR – MB
    • 52 Blocks (1.08 B/S), 84 Kills (1.75 K/S), .159 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • John Brown is coming off a hard-fought 3-1 win against its travel partner College of the Ozarks on Wednesday as the Golden Eagles and Bobcats battled tooth-and-nail through the first three sets before JBU found its stride in set four to cruise to the 25-15 win to wrap it up.
  • The Golden Eagles enter Friday night's match with the sixth-best attack percentage within SAC play at .168 while registering the fifth-most kills per set at 12.39. However, JBU has been downright excellent on the defensive end against league foes thus far, holding the opposition to only a .145 hitting clip.
  • JBU features a senior laden lineup at all of its key positions as Savanna Riney, Taylor Golmen and Erin Mullins have been the team's scoring leaders this season with each having over 100 points to their stat totals.
  • The Golden Eagles back row is led by one of the best liberos in the SAC in Julie Milligan, who leads the conference with 246 digs on the second-best per set average (5.13) while Mullins is the SAC's most prolific blocker at 1.08 per set.
  • Last season, Mid-America Christian and John Brown put together two epic showdowns as both teams won five-setters on the opposing courts. After the Golden Eagles pulled out a 3-2 win inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Sept. 27, 2023, the Evangels got their revenge inside Bill George Arena as MACU picked up a massive 3-2 win on Nov. 3, 2023 that allowed MACU to lock up the No. 3 seed in the SAC Tournament.

College of the Ozarks

• Record: 5-5 (1-4 SAC)
• Last Match: Lost at John Brown – 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 24-26, 25-15) – Sept. 18, 2024 – Siloam Springs, Ark.
• Series vs MACU (2021-): MACU leads 3-1
• Last Match vs MACU: CofO Won 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-17) – Sept. 2, 2023 – Point Lookout, Mo.
• Series Streak: CofO won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Bri Linehan – JR – RS/OH
    • 104 Kills (3.15 K/S), .246 ATK%, 22 Blocks (0.67 B/S)
  • Kamryn Link – SO – S
    • 190 Assists (5.76 A/S), 13 Aces (0.39 SA/S), 77 Digs (2.33 D/S)
  • Mica Chadwell – SR – DS/L
    • 223 Digs (6.76 D/S), 27 Assists (0.82 A/S)
  • Bailey Chamberlain – SR – MH
    • 33 Blocks (1.00 B/S), 60 Kills (1.82 K/S), .216 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • A newcomer to the SAC for the 2024 season, College of the Ozarks has been mightily tested to start the season as the Bobcats are facing the top five teams from the conference within its first seven league matches. CofO is coming off an extremely hard-fought loss at John Brown on Wednesday as they hung in with the Golden Eagles through the first three sets before JBU ran away with the big win in set four to seal the 3-1 victory.
  • The challenging start to league play has caused the Bobcats to struggle to find their stride in the attack as CofO enters its Friday match against USAO ranking ninth in kills per set (10.89) and 10^th in attack percentage (.122).
  • Despite the Bobcats offensive struggles, they do feature one of the best pin-hitters in the conference in Bri Linehan, who currently leads the league in kills per set (3.15) on a solid .246 attack percentage. On the defensive side, senior defensive specialist Mica Chadwell has been consistently one of the best back-row defenders year-in and year-out as she leads the conference in digs per set (6.76) with 223 total digs. Meanwhile, Bailey Chamberlain is a strong net defender as her 1.00 rejections per set ranks third in the league.
  • While Mid-America Christian has fared well against College of the Ozarks since the two programs started facing each other in 2021, the Bobcats got the best of MACU in their last meeting inside Keeter Gymnasium on Sept. 2, 2023. In the CofO Tournament, the Bobcats won the match in straight sets.