BETHANY, Okla. – Oklahoma City University opened Sooner Athletic Conference volleyball play by dealing Southern Nazarene a 25-20, 25-19, 25-20 defeat Tuesday at the Sawyer Center.
Taylor Rowton, a junior from Edmond, Okla., led the Stars with seven kills and two blocks. OCU improved to 5-4, 1-0 in the SAC, while SNU dropped to 8-7, 0-1.
Torrie Flynn, a freshman from Edmond, Okla., added six kills, three blocks and two aces, while Vicky Murphy, a junior from Spring, Texas, contributed five kills and three blocks for OCU.
Samantha Ball, Alex Benbrook, Xiaoting Ma and Raissa Santos each totaled four kills for the Stars. Ball dished out 16 assists, and Benbrook knocked down a team-high four blocks. Flynn and Murphy each recorded three blocks as OCU had seven team blocks.
Victoria Cross picked up a team-high 12 digs, and Ma had eight digs for the Stars.
“Our offense executed really well, and we did a great job with our blocking,” OCU coach Jen Gomez said. “We made some adjustments with our offense, and the team stepped up and took care of business. I was also pleased with our passing and defense.”
Southern Nazarene began the contest by scoring the first four points. OCU rallied to tie the set 8-8, 9-9, and 11-11 before putting together a 7-0 run.
Murphy ignited the OCU spree with a kill to tie the set 12-12. Ball added a kill, and Benbrook and Murphy teamed on a block. Murphy set down a kill to put the Stars ahead 18-12. OCU scored the set's final three points as Ma's kill brought up set point, then Benbrook and Murphy combined on another block.
In the next set, Southern Nazarene tied the frame 4-4. OCU answered with six of the next seven points. Murphy and Rowton scored on back-to-back kills, and Santos tacked on a kill during that span.
In the final set, OCU erased a 4-1 deficit. The Stars pulled away using a 5-0 run to go up 21-12. Ball and Ma nailed kills during that OCU run. Flynn and Rowton partnered on a block to set up match point.
OCU took advantage of Southern Nazarene's 10 service errors and .132 hitting percentage. The Stars hit .235, including .314 in the second set.
The Stars face Friends (Kan.) at 4 p.m., then College of the Ozarks (Mo.) at 6 p.m. Friday in the Oklahoma Baptist Tournament in Shawnee, Okla.
Stats
