OBU Volleyball Primed for NCCAA Tournament

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No. 6 Southern Wesleyan (15-12) vs. No.3 Oklahoma Baptist (20-14) Thursday, Dec. 1, 2 p.m. No. 7 Cincinnati Christian (19-11) vs. No. 3 Oklahoma Baptist (20-14) Thursday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m. Kissimmee, Fla. (Kissimmee Civic Center) Watch Live ($) Match Notes NCCAA National Championship Home Page

SHAWNEE – Two matches await No. 3-seeded Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday, Dec. 1 as the Lady Bison get set for their second appearance in as many seasons at the National Christian College Athletic Association Tournament. Up first for OBU is No. 6 Southern Wesleyan at 2 p.m., while No. 7 Cincinnati Christian will represent the nightcap for the Green-and-Gold at 6 p.m. Both matches will be contested at the Kissimmee Civic Center in Kissimmee, Florida.
 
Oklahoma Baptist (20-14) enters the first day of competition as the NCCAA Central Regional runner-up. Sophia Couto and Rachel Richie both earned all-tournament honors in Lakewood, Colorado, and will be looking to continue their torrid starts to the postseason at the national tournament.
 
Over their last four matches, OBU has experienced a renaissance on offense, averaging 14.58 kills per set while swinging .212. Richie has paced the squad in the postseason, tallying 3.25 kills/set. Nicole Fleitman and Cadyn Laing have provided a nice balance to the attack, averaging 2.92 and 2.33 kills/set, respectively. Kynnedy Myers has handed out 8.00 assists per set in the postseason, while Hayden Blair has enjoyed an expanded role and is handing out 4.90 assists/set.
 
The Lady Bison have held opponents to just 10.17 kills/set in the postseason, and much of that has to do with the fact that Sierra VeraCruz is peaking at the right time, averaging 6.67 digs per set at the NCCAA Central Regional. Shekinah Sharpe has averaged 2.91 digs/set over that same span, followed closely by Myers with a set average of 2.42 digs. At the net, the Lady Bison are averaging 2.17 blocks per set, paced by Couto at 1.45.
 
Southern Wesleyan (15-12) is the South Regional runner-up after falling to Warner. Sarah Hughey paces the offense at a 3.67 kills/set clip for the season, helped along by Annika Jones who is averaging 9.44 assists/set. Milicia Stamenic is posting 4.42 digs/set, but opponents are averaging 12.77 kills/set.
 
Cincinnati Christian (19-11) enter the fray as the Midwest Regional champions. Mallory Morris has averaged a team-best 3.15 kills/set, while Ellie Abel is averaging nearly 10 assists/set on the year. Kayla Weber's 4.15 digs/set leads a stingy defense that has permitted only 9.77 kills/set this season.
 
The NCCAA National Tournament continues tomorrow morning as the Lady Bison take on No. 2-seeded Campbellsville at 10 a.m. from inside the Kissimmee Civic Center. The semifinals are scheduled to begin on Friday evening.