OBU Ropes Rangers in Alva

ALVA, Okla. – Oklahoma Baptist recovered from a slow start to knock off Northwestern Oklahoma State, 3-1 (19-25, 27-25, 25-18, 25-12), in Alva on Saturday afternoon inside the Percefull Fieldhouse. The Lady Bison now own a half-game lead over Harding in the Great American Conference standings with four matches left to play.
 
Oklahoma Baptist rode a strong performance from junior Sophia Couto to spark the three-set run after dropping the first set. The Brazilian middle hitter recorded a team-high 10 kills against just one error on 17 attack attempts for a hitting percentage of .529. Couto nearly matched kill total in blocks, scoring nine total blocks, including two solo stops. Three of her blocks came in the fourth set alone.
 
Despite a slow start that saw the Lady Bison fall behind 1-0 to the Rangers after dropping the first set 25-19, OBU restored parity to the match with a strong second frame. Trailing 15-11 midway through the set, Cadyn Laing found a soft spot in the Northwestern defense off the feed from Kynnedy Myers that sparked a 7-1 run that was capped by a solo block by Sophia Couto. The Lady Bison would again find themselves trailing late in the set, 23-22, but a block by Shekinah Sharpe, assisted by Laing, and a Rangers error brought OBU to set point at 24-23. Though the Rangers tied it up again, Couto would lay down back-to-back kills to give Oklahoma Baptist a 27-25 triumph in the set.
 
The third set wasn't nearly as tense an affair as the second as the Lady Bison. A Rachel Richie score sparked a four-point streak that gave OBU all the breathing room they'd need, leading Northwestern 12-8. The lead for OBU would balloon to as much as 19-12 following consecutive errors by the Rangers, and OBU would reach set point soon after following a pair of blocks by Nicole Fleitman and Couto, as well as another Rangers error. Myers expertly set up Richie for the final point, taking a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth set.
 
Oklahoma Baptist raced out to a quick 5-0 lead in the fourth frame and never looked back. The Lady Bison solidified their defense at the net in particular, with six of their 14 blocks coming in the fourth set, including three total blocks by Couto and two each from Laing and Myers. Laing made quick work after a Rangers offensive miscue, their 27th of the match, set up match point, hammering home the final point to conclude the match.
 
Couto paced the offense, though Sharpe and Laing combined for 17 kills as well. Myers handed out 37 assists for an average of 9.25 assists per set to go along with three aces. Sharpe tied Myers for the team-lead at three service aces.
 
Sierra VeraCruz led the squad with 18 digs, while Myers recorded a double-double thanks to her 12 digs. Richie set a career-high with 12 digs.
 
Oklahoma Baptist (16-11, 10-3 GAC) remains on the road, heading to Weatherford, Oklahoma, to face the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.