Hugh Scott

Box Score

Oklahoma City OCU 14-14, 12-8

SAGU SAGU 25-6, 19-1

Oklahoma City OCU

14-14, 12-8

Final

Nov. 10, 2023

SAGU SAGU

25-6, 19-1

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5	F
Oklahoma City OCU	25	25	15	26	5	(2)
SAGU SAGU	21	20	25	28	15	(3)

Game Recap: Volleyball | 11/10/2023 9:51:00 PM

Stars take one seeded Lions to five sets as SAC tournament run comes to an end

WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS - The Oklahoma City Stars were one point away from upsetting the one seed Southwestern Assemblies of God in the semfinal round of the SAC tournament however the Lions would go on to win in five sets to advance to the tournament finale.

Score

Southwestern Assemblies of God 3, Oklahoma City 2

Oklahoma City (14-12)
Science & Arts (25-6)

Match Summary

Set 1: 25-21 (OCU)

Set 2: 25-20 (OCU)

Set 3: 25-15 (SAGU)

Set 4: 28-26 (SAGU)

Set 5: 15-5 (SAGU)

Set 1

The semifinal round of the SAC tournament got going as SAGU took a 7-3 lead and extended it to 11-6 leading to a timeout by OCU head coach Kristen Coventon. The Stars came out of the timeout exploding on an 11-2 run as Emma Nickerson delivered two kills with Ruby Kelley and Gabrielle Fjeseth getting into the mix on the attack. Trailing 21-15 SAGU began to inch closer by getting to within two points of the Stars as the score sat 23-21. Out of a timeout, OCU came out firing scoring the next two points off of a pair of kills by Rylee Steward and Nickerson to win the set 25-20.

Set 2

After Oklahoma scored the first point of set two the Lions went off scoring six straight points with three of its players earning kills. Coventon took a quick timeout and once again the Stars got rolling by rattling off nine consecutive points as Kelley notched two kills with Michela De Stefano adding a kill of her own to take a 10-6 lead. After SAGU tied it up at 10, Oklahoma City regained the lead on a 5-1 run after Steward and De Stefano helped put the Stars in front 16-12. SAGU brought the deficit back to just one however yet again OCU was there to answer as the Stars closed out the set on a 6-2 run with Steward delivering a forcefill kill to win it 25-20.

Set 3

The third set began much tighter with the lead changing hands on multiple occasions until SAGU took a 16-9 lead after an 8-2 run. Ruby Kelley picked up two more kills for the Stars however it wouldn't be enough to stop the roar of the Lions as Bailee Alexander capped off the third set as SAGU cruised to a 25-15 victory.

Set 4

SAGU opened the fourth set on a 5-1 run looking like they were about to run away with it by carrying the momentum from the previous set. However, that was not the case as the Stars began to scratch their way closer as OCU rattled three consecutive points on three separate occasions bringing it to 23-20 on an ace by Kaitlyn Dunlap. After a Lions point, Oklahoma City answered right away with four straight points as Natalie Adams and Steward racked up kills to tie it up 24-24. SAGU scored the next point to have the chance to win it but the Stars refused to give in as Gabrielle Fjeseth put the OCU on top 26-25. The Stars had their chance to win the match but SAGU came right back with three straight points with an ace to finish things off to win 28-26 and tie the match up.

Set 5

In the final set, SAGU went up 2-0 to start things off but Adams and Kelley were there to answer the call with kills to tie it up. Unfortunately for OCU, SAGU gained control and never looked back after an 8-1 run to take a 10-3 lead. The Stars could only score two more times in the set which allowed SAGU to close things out with five consecutive points to give the Lions the match victory to advance to the SAC finale.

GAME NOTES

Oklahoma City finished with 50 kills for the afternoon on a .159 attack percentage while the Lions collected 69 kills on a .208 hitting percentage.
Both teams displayed strong defensive performances as each side tallied 100 digs while OCU had six blocks with SAGU had seven blocks.
Ruby Kelley led the way for the Stars with 14 kills and 18 digs earning her 12th double-double of the season and her third in a row.
Rylee Steward and Emma Nickerson followed up Kelley in kills with nine each.
Kaitlyn Dunlap has a busy night as the Stars Libero with her third most digs of the season with 28 while getting one ace.
Natalie Adams strung together another night of solid passing as Adams collected 37 assists making it the 11th time Adams has gone over 30 assists.
The Stars battled their way to five sets with the one-seeded Lions giving SAGU all they could handle forcing SAGU to go to five sets for only the fifth time this season.
Oklahoma City competed in the semi-final round for the first time in two years since winning the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament in 2021.