OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Volleyball team took the opening set from defending Sooner Athletic Conference champion Nelson on Friday night inside the Gaulke Activity in its SAC and home-opener, but the Evangels were unable to hold off the Lady Lions in a 3-1 defeat.
SCORE

• Nelson 3, Mid-America Christian 1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-21)
  • Mid-America Christian (4-3, 0-1 SAC)
  • Nelson (6-4, 2-0 SAC)

TOP PERFOMERS

• Miriam Nardi – 12 Kills, .357 ATK%, 3 Blocks
• Cassidy McKinney – 23 Assists, 6 Digs
• Ryley Bowden – 18 Digs, 4 Assists, 3 Aces
• Alica Obusekova – 8 Kills, 12 Digs
• Natalia Rodriguez – 5 Kills, .286 ATK%, 4 Digs, 6 Blocks

MATCH SUMMARY

• Set One
  • The opening set was a one of runs for both teams. MACU scored six-straight points early to grab a 7-2 lead. After Nelson scored on the next three rallies to close it to 7-5, MACU countered with four-straight of its own to stretch the lead back to six.
  • The Lady Lions batted back by scoring nine of the next 12 points to draw the set even at 14-14 on an Alexandra Bonnet termination. However, the Evangels reeled off seven of the next eight points — with Natalia Rodriguez notching a kill and two blocks in the run — to make it a 21-15 advantage.
  • The Evangels eventually worked it to set-point at 24-18 on Alica Obusekova's kill. Nelson knocked two points off the MACU edge, but a Caroline Boone attack error eventually gave MACU the 25-20 victory.
• Set Two
  • The second stanza featured a more back-and-forth battle between the two squads with a trio of lead changes and four ties.
  • Mid-America Christian took a 13-9 lead midway through on a kill by Miriam Nardi before the Lady Lions scored five in a row to take a 14-13 advantage.
  • While MACU was able to briefly get the lead back on another Obusekova kill to make it 16-15, it was short-lived as Nelson took the next five rallies to make it 20-16. Back came the Evangels, who scored three of the next four points (two kills by Lena Stockhammer) to pull to within two at 21-19. A kill by Rodriguez allowed MACU to survive one set-point to bring it to 24-23, but Bonnett delivered set-ending kill to even the match.
• Set Three
  • While Mid-America Christian was able to open by scoring the first five, Nelson rallied back with a 10-2 run to take 12-10 lead heading into the midway point of the set.
  • The next 18 rallies were a back-and-forth affair with two lead changes and six ties as Madison Lee's service ace drew it even for the last time at 20-20.
  • Nelson closed out the set strong by taking five of the next six rallies as a Samantha Moore ace wrapped-up the 25-21 result.
• Set Four
  • The first half of the final set was a slugfest with six lead changes before Nelson utilized a 7-2 run to capture the 17-12 advantage, prompting MACU head coach Holly McKamie to take a timeout.
  • Out of the break, the Evangels made a pair of solid runs to eventually work it back to an even game at 21-all on Rodriguez and Nardi's combo block.
  • Although, Nelson would not be denied as the Lady Lions captured the final four points to wrap-up the match at 25-21.

MATCH NOTES

• The blocking schemes frustrated both teams, which struggled to score points on the attack. Nelson delivered 55 kills with a .155 attack percentage while MACU finished with 45 kills and a .151 hitting percentage.
• Nelson finished with 54 assists —27 from Taylor Cavazos — compared to 43 assists for MACU, which was led by Cassidy McKinney with 23.
• The Lions had eight aces on the night to five for the Evangels, including three by Ryley Bowden. The junior libero also led the MACU back line with a team-high 18 digs.
• Despite MACU's offensive struggles, senior right-side Miriam Nardi posted a solid outing in the attack with 12 kills on a blistering .357 attack percentage.

UP NEXT

• The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Evangels, who host last year's SAC Tournament Champion Texas Wesleyan for a 1 p.m. first serve on Saturday inside the Gaulke Activity Center.