Oklahoma City. - The Oklahoma City Stars volleyball team played its home opener on Wednesday night as the Stars took down the Golden Eagles of John Brown in a highly contested Sooner Athletic Conference matchup with OCU coming out victorious three sets to one.  

Score   

Oklahoma City 3, Oklahoma Panhandle State 1 

• Oklahoma City (4-2, 3-0)   
• John Brown (Ark.) (5-5, 2-1)  

Match Summary   

Set 1: 25-23 (OCU)   

Set 2: 25-17 (OCU)   

Set 3: 25-21 (JBU)  

Set 4: 25-23 (OCU)  

Set 1   

The highly anticipated home opener delivered in more ways than one as things got off to an intense start on both sides. With the score changing hands early, OCU got out to its first run going from down 5-4 to taking a 7-7 lead on a block by Michela De Stefano and Ruby Kelley. Throughout the middle of the set, it was back and forth until John Brown scored three unanswered and went up 20-16. The Stars fired right back at the Golden Eagles scoring three in a row of their own with a kill from Kelley and two attack errors on Savanna Riney from John Brown. After a JBU timeout, the Golden Eagles went back up by three only for the Stars to make one more late push and rattle off three consecutive points closing out the first set with an ace from De Stefano ton 25-23 in a tight set one.  

Set 2   

The Stars got off to a rocky start in the second set going down 5-0 before head coach Kristen Coventon saw all she could see before taking her first timeout. OCU found its way back in it with two separate 3-0 runs with kills from Kelley and Emma Nickerson to lead the way. Oklahoma City took its first lead when going up 9-8 on a JBU attack error. Back and forth again in the middle part of two before OCU found its stride and went on a 9-1 run to go ahead 23-16 with two kills and an ace by Kelley to take control of set two. The Stars finished it off on a kill from Rylee Steward and notched their 25th point of the set on a block by Steward and Gabrielle Fjeseth to go up two sets to none with a 25-17 win.  

Set 3   

Trying to avoid the sweep John Brown found themselves going on two different 3-0 runs taking a 12-9 lead. Sitting at 19-19 OCU tied the set up for the first time since it was 9-9 and had not had the lead since being up 7-6. Four consecutive points for JBU put the Golden Eagles in control with the momentum late in the set leading 23-19. Kelley contributed to another kill however John Brown refused to give this one away as Erin Mullins ended things to give the Golden Eagles the win in set three. 

Set 4 

OCU got out to a quick start with kills from different Stars to start the fourth set. John Brown took the first lead at 6-5 by taking advantage of an attack error by Fjeseth. Knotted up at 10 apiece the Stars turned in a 5-1 run as Hannah Grundy, Natalie Adams, and Kelley all turned in kills to take a 15-11 lead. After the big run, the Stars couldn't quite shut the door on JBU as the Golden Eagles fought their way back into it and took their first lead since it was 7-6 with the score being 20-19 in favor of John Brown. A kill by Kelley and an attack error on JBU gave the lead right back in the direction of the Stars. Going from a one-point lead to a point lead five different times the Stars held a 24-23 lead. Off a John Brown serve the ball shifted sides a handful of times before getting in the hands of freshman Jaiden Downey who passed to OCU freshman setter Natalie Adams who led the match with 42 assists. Looking like she was going to make the pass up one of the big hitters in Steward or Kelley, Adams pulled a trick out of her bag and went with the attack fooling the John Brown defense to solidify a victory of 25-23 in the fourth set.  

Game Notes   

• Oklahoma City fell just two kills shy of John Brown having 47 to JBU's 49. OCU held the advantage in aces six to two. OCU put on a stellar blocking display with 12 blocks in the match compared to John Brown's four.  
• Ruby Kelley had a big night with another double-double for her season having a game-high 18 kills which also tied her season-high total to go along with 16 digs.  
• Michela De Stefano, the junior from Rome claimed a new season-high in kills with 12 which also gives her a new career-high in that category.  
• Kaitlyn Dunlap and Riley Winkler both set new season-high totals in dig with each having 22 digs a piece. Dunlap surpasses the previous total of 19 coming against Our Lady of the Lake and Winkler sets a career-high passing her previous mark of 21 which also came against John Brown in October of last year.  
• Natalie Adams was on fire with her passes as she reached a game-high of 41 assists, making it her second-highest total of the season and the fourth time Adams has had 30 or more assists in a match.  
• After losing both matches, two out of three matches last season, the Stars get back on the winning side to clinch its 30th all-time win over the John Brown Golden Eagles in the series history dating back to 2006.  

NEXT GAME  

The Stars will take one day off before gearing up for its next contest as they make the short trip to Bethany, Okla., to take on Southwestern Christian on Friday, September 8 at 6 P