Volleyball 8/25/2012 6:51:00 PM

Stars wallop College of Ozarks in three sets

OCU finishes season-opening tournament 2-2

Danielle Robison snagged 37 digs and 11 aces in the Oklahoma City Classic.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University completed its weekend with a 25-22, 25-20, 25-19 victory over College of the Ozarks (Mo.) on Saturday at Abe Lemons Arena in the Oklahoma City volleyball classic.
The Stars (2-2) also fell to Tabor (Kan.) 25-17, 24-26, 25-21, 25-15 earlier Saturday.
"I was very pleased with how we finished the weekend," OCU coach Nikki Dieball said. "We have areas that we need to get much better in, but I really felt like the girls played together as a team. Every single person was involved with making us successful."
Against College of the Ozarks, OCU erased a 16-11 deficit in the final set to clinch the victory. The Stars rallied with three consecutive points as Tori Leisure's kill and Heather Watson's back-to-back service aces cut their hole to 16-14.
Trailing 18-16, OCU reeled off an 8-0 run to get to match point at 24-18. Watson, Meghan Irwin and Torrie Flynn pounded down kills to start the Stars' spree. Danielle Robison socked two aces, including one to put OCU at match point. Flynn nailed a kill to put away the match.
Irwin, a sophomore from Arlington, Texas, and Rachel Gabel led OCU with 13 kills each. OCU racked up a season-high 59 digs as Gabel, a freshman from Richardson, Texas, picked up a team-high 16, and Robison, a junior from Dallas, added 14 digs to go with her five aces.
OCU's Hannah Mitcham, a freshman from Fort Worth, Texas, produced 34 assists, eight digs and two blocks. Flynn had five kills and a team-high three blocks, while Leisure, a freshman from Haslet, Texas, contributed six kills.
Against Tabor, OCU rallied from 6-0 and 7-2 deficits to take the second set. Robison accrued three aces in a row during a 6-0 run that put OCU ahead 12-11. Flynn and Irwin teamed on a block to give the Stars the edge.
Flynn gave OCU set point at 24-21 with a kill, but Tabor tied the set 24-24. Irwin and Gabel came through with kills to give the Stars the set.
Flynn, a junior from Edmond, Okla., posted team highs with 12 kills and five blocks. Anna Gentry, a junior from Stillwater, Okla., recorded 10 digs, and Leisure added seven kills and two blocks. Mitcham amassed 29 assists, three digs and two blocks.
"I left this weekend feeling very encouraged about the direction we are headed in," Dieball said.
The Stars continue their season in the College of the Ozarks Tournament next weekend in Point Lookout, Mo. OCU takes on Ottawa (Kan.) at 2 p.m., then host College of the Ozarks at 6 p.m. Friday.

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