PLAINVIEW, Texas – Oklahoma City University slipped past Wayland Baptist (Texas) 11-25, 25-23, 19-25, 26-24, 15-10 on Saturday at the Hutcherson Center.
The Stars secured the No. 2 seed in the Sooner Athletic Conference volleyball tournament. Oklahoma City (18-9, 16-4 SAC) faces John Brown (Ark.) at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at Abe Lemons Arena.
In the fifth set, Oklahoma City tallied the first seven points of the set. Sophia Salak sparked OCU with two aces and a kill, while Catelyn Vargas added a pair of kills during that span.
Kenady Bertling gave the Stars match point at 14-7 by smacking a kill. Ella Lofton delivered the decisive kill to clinch OCU's victory.
Bertling, a senior from Baytown, Texas, powered OCU with 14 kills, three blocks and two aces, while Olivia Nutter, a senior from Plano, Texas, landed 14 kills and three blocks.
Salak, a senior from McKinney, Texas, reached 55 assists for the third time this season by amassing 59 assists, 11 digs and three blocks, and Ruby Kelley, a freshman from Mustang, Okla., provided the Stars with 12 kills and six blocks.
Josie Thomas, a freshman from Choctaw, Okla., corralled 19 digs. Lofton, a senior from Cedar Park, Texas, came through with 11 kills and 15 digs, while Vargas, a junior from Lubbock, Texas, crushed 11 kills.
