Volleyball 9/30/2013 11:29:00 PM

OCU rallies past Southwestern Assemblies of God

Stars use 6-0 run in fourth set to notch league win

Kristen Macy socked a season-high 20 kills Monday (photo courtesy Texas Wesleyan sports information).

Box Score
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University gutted out a victory over Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) 25-22, 24-26, 26-24, 27-25 on Monday at Abe Lemons Arena.
OCU rallied with a 6-0 run to take a 22-18 lead in the fourth and decisive set. The Stars improved to 10-7, 3-2 in Sooner Athletic Conference volleyball.
In the fourth set, the Stars erased an 18-16 deficit. Rachel Gabel bookended the OCU splurge with kills, while Kristen Macy added a kill. Tori Thomas provided the Stars with an ace during that run.
Southwestern Assemblies of God had set point at 25-24, but Macy responded by nailing a kill. OCU scored the match's final three points.
"I got goose bumps a few times throughout the match because we were doing some really great things," OCU coach Nikki Dieball said. "I'm excited about the direction we're headed. The girls had made it a goal for themselves to not lose any more home matches. It was obvious those last six points. The bench was engaged. Our defense was talking to our hitters. We had hands pretty much on every ball. I just can't really say enough about how hard we played. We've been drilling that a lot with the girls to play hard, and to not worry about making errors and to make the extra effort on defense. I'm just very proud of my team."
Hannah Mitcham established for herself a new single-match career high with 54 assists, and Danielle Robison matched her career high with 32 digs. Mitcham, a sophomore from Fort Worth, Texas, eclipsed the 50 assists she dished out against John Brown (Ark.) on Oct. 6, 2012 in Siloam Springs, Ark. Mitcham added seven digs Tuesday.
"She was making some good decisions tonight," Dieball said of Mitcham. "Assists go so much into the passing you have and the ability of your hitters to put the ball away. It was such a team effort tonight. We had some big-time people step up for us. I'm just really proud of our whole team effort."
Robison, a senior from Dallas, equaled the 32 digs she scooped against McPherson (Kan.) on Sept. 1, 2012. Robison notched the 11th 30-dig performance in OCU's program history and the second of her career.
"We have put a big responsibility on her," Dieball said of Robison. "We changed up our defense and have given her a massive amount of court to cover. She's just doing a wonderful job. She never even batted an eye when I told her that was what she had to do. She just buckles down and gives us phenomenal defense."
Kristen Macy, a freshman from Edmond, Okla., collected her fourth double-double of the year with 20 kills, 12 digs and two blocks, while Torrie Flynn, a senior from Edmond, Okla., added 12 kills and five blocks for OCU.
The Stars' Meghan Irwin, a junior from Arlington, Texas, posted 11 kills and three blocks, and Rachel Gabel, a sophomore from Richardson, Texas, contributed 10 kills and 12 digs.
In the third set, OCU got to set point at 24-23 using a Macy ace. Southwestern Assemblies extended the set, but Flynn and Chazmin Franklin hammered kills to win the frame. The Stars overcame a 19-15 deficit.
Flynn picked up three kills to help OCU build a first-set 7-2 advantage.
OCU meets John Brown at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Siloam Springs, Ark.

30-Dig Club
Oklahoma City University
34—Meghann Turner at Lubbock Christian, Sept. 23, 2006; Shelbey Veselka at Wayland Baptist, Sept. 22, 2007; Shelbey Veselka at Southern Nazarene, Oct. 14, 2008
33—Nicole Gruenbacher at Southern Nazarene, Oct. 25, 2007; Shelbey Veselka vs. Evangel, Sept. 26, 2008
32—Danielle Robison vs. McPherson, Sept. 1, 2012; vs. Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas), Sept. 30, 2013
30—Victoria Cross vs. Sterling, Sept. 10, 2011; Nicole Gruenbacher vs. Texas-Brownsville, Nov. 17, 2006 in NAIA Region VI Tournament at Houston; Maryna Verbovetska vs. John Brown, Oct. 4, 2007; Maryna Verbovetska vs. Lubbock Christian, Nov. 10, 2007 in Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament at Plainview, Texas

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