Box Score (html)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Oklahoma Baptist suffered their first setback in the finale of the Eckerd College Invitational, falling to the hosts, 3-1 (17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 23-25). The Lady Bison move to 1-1 on Saturday, and 3-1 for the year following the loss.
Errors piled up for OBU against the Tritons, accumulating 25 over the course of four sets. Following a first set that saw the Lady Bison combine for a -.038 hitting percentage, OBU cut down on the errors and hit .222 and .349 during the next two sets.
The third set was key for Oklahoma Baptist, as they played their best volleyball of the match.
Nicole Fleitman turned up the pressure, knocking down seven kills in the set, while
Shekinah Sharpe and
Kynnedy Myers also contributed to the scoreline. The Lady Bison trailed only twice in the set, but trailing 6-5 Myers and
Mikayla Watson linked up to put OBU back on top.
Sierra VeraCruz earned an ace, and
Taylor Williams supplied the final kill in the set.
Oklahoma Baptist's error trouble returned in the fourth and final set, with the Lady Bison scoring 14 kills to seven errors and hitting .159, and OBU were saddled with their first loss in 2016 as a result.
"We came out slow and struggled to get anything going during the first set-and-a-half, and it showed," said OBU head coach
Anna Howle. "I thought that Kynnedy had another great all-around match, and Sierra really helped us on the defensive side of the floor."
Fleitman again led the team with 18 kills, while Watson and Sharpe had 11 and eight respectively. Myers recorded 34 assists in the match, while
Katrina Horner had eight assists as the libero.
Cadyn Laing had a team-best four blocks, including two solo blocks, and VeraCruz led with 15 digs on the defensive side of the ball.
Oklahoma Baptist returns to action on Wednesday, Sept. 7 for a 7 p.m. match against Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma.
