OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma City Volleyball team battled the conference's top team in Nelson falling in four sets to end the regular season 14-14 overall and 14-8 in SAC play.

Nelson 3, Oklahoma City 1

Set 1: 25-8 (NEL)
Set 2: 25-20 (NEL)
Set 3: 25-16 (OCU)
Set 4: 27-25 (NEL)

STAT OF THE MATCH: Natalie Adams notched a season-high of 36 assists leading the match while surpassing 30 assists for the fourth time this season. 

THE RUNDOWN 

Set 1
After jumping out to a 7-3 lead, Nelson went on to use a 7-1 run to take a 10 point lead eventually stretching it out to 17-7. After a Maddie Edwards kill, the Lions rattled off five in a row in the middle of an 8-1 run that closed out the set 25-8.

Set 2
Oklahoma City turned things around by getting out to a 4-1 lead after a kill and an ace by Michela De Stefano. Nelson was able to take back to lead for the first time after scoring five consecutive points to go up 8-5. Here came the Stars right back with three straight kills by Ruby Kelley, Grace Smallwood and Rylee Steward. Back up by one, Nelson took off on a 6-1 run to take its biggest lead of the set at 19-13. Oklahoma City was able to bring the deficit back down to three after Erin Mack and De Steano pitched in with kills, but the Lions were able to win the next to possessions to earn a five point set victory. 

Set 3
Nelson led only one time in the third set at 2-1 before Oklahoma City used two different stretches of scoring three in a row to take a 13-9 lead going into a Nelson timeout. The Lions kept it close before OCU found separation with a 5-1 run on a pair of aces by De Stefano before Smallwood and Natalie Adams delivered kills to put Oklahoma City up 22-14. Smallwood added another kills to close out the third set and help avoid the sweep with a 25-16 victory. 

Set 4
The Stars kept on battling by opening with an 8-2 lead after De Stefano continued to light it up with two more kills. Nelson used a 5-1 run to get back in it and tied things up for the first time at 18 alll. The two teams traded points in the late going of the set as OCU saw set point two different times after Kelley and Smallwood put them in a position to take the set. Both times Nelson was down to its last point the Lions had an answer while being able to take the lead for the first time at 26-25 before finishing off its three point run with a match ending kill by Alexandra Bonnett to win 27-25. 

Game Notes

• Oklahoma City ends its regular season slate 14-14 overall with a 14-8 record in conference play. 
• Grace Smallwood led the day by tying a season-high with 14 kills while also having 14 digs giving her double-double number seven on the year. 
• Ruby Kelley reached double-digit kills for the 17th time this season in 22 matches played. Kelley added a match-high of five blocks while Rylee Steward joined in with three of her own. 
•  Kailtyn Dunlap led the team with 15 digs on the day, the second time she has reached double-digits since Oct. 22.
• Oklahoma City finishes fifth in the SAC standings while Nelson became the regular season champion with a 22-0 conference record. 
• Nelson earns its seventh straight win over Oklahoma City while the series record sits at 21-12 in favor of OCU since 2007.

Up Next
Oklahoma City begins its SAC Tournament run on Tuesday at Mid-America Christian beginning at 8:00 PM inside the Gaulke Activity Center. 

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