SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Oklahoma City University toppled Missouri Baptist 25-15, 25-11, 22-25, 25-27, 15-8 on Thursday in the Evangel Preseason Classic at the Evangel Fieldhouse.
Oklahoma City upended Missouri Baptist, ranked fourth in NAIA volleyball, to equal the highest ranked foe OCU has ever beaten. The Stars handed Kristen Coventon the win in her debut as OCU coach.
The Stars stunned fourth-ranked Columbia (Mo.) 18-25, 25-20, 25-23, 13-25, 16-14 on Oct. 17, 2009 in the Lindenwood Classic at St. Charles, Mo., for its first win over an opponent ranked that high. OCU posted its first win over a top-five opponent since tripping fifth-ranked Hastings (Neb.) 19-25, 25-18, 18-25, 25-12, 15-12 on Sept. 2, 2016 in the Bellevue Labor Day Classic at Bellevue, Neb. OCU owns three wins over a foe rated in the top five in program history.
Oklahoma City clinched the victory by tallying the final four points of the match. Lacy Beeler knocked down a kill, then Sophia Salak rolled up an ace. Marijana Bjelobrk hammered a kill to give OCU match point 14-8.
"We came out on fire," Coventon said. "We played so hard the first two sets and caught them off guard. They pushed back and had a big lead in the fourth, and we fought so hard to lose 26-24. We carried our momentum into the fifth and never looked back. I'm so proud of how hard we worked to get back in it after losing the third and the fourth sets."
In the first set, OCU reeled off a 10-0 run to build a 19-9 advantage. Bjelobrk teamed with Kenady Bertling to cap the Stars' run. OCU hit .385 in the set.
The Stars sped to a 12-3 lead in the second set after Salak and Olivia Nutter combined on a block.
Beeler, a junior from Jenks, Okla., powered OCU with 21 kills, 20 digs and four aces, all career bests. Bjelobrk, a senior from Belgrade, Serbia, accumulated 14 kills, nine digs and eight blocks.
Salak, a sophomore from McKinney, Texas, totaled 36 assists, 11 digs, three blocks and two aces, while Isabel Harwell, a sophomore from Edmond, Okla., picked up a career-high 27 digs and four aces. Ella Lofton, a junior from Cedar Park, Texas, provided the Stars with 10 kills, and Caitlin Briggs, a junior from Mustang, Okla., added 13 digs.
The Stars recorded their most aces in a match since piling up 19 against USAO on Oct. 26, 2016 at Abe Lemons Arena.
OCU continues play in the Evangel Preseason Classic on Friday at 9:30 a.m. against Evangel (Mo.) and noon against Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.).