Three Lady Bison Honored on Senior Night

SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist saw a late lead disappear as they fell to Southern Nazarene 2-3 (25-17, 20-25, 25-16, 25-27, 12-15) Thursday night at the Noble Complex.
 
The Lady Bison (17-14, 11-5 GAC) wrapped up the regular season as the three seed for the upcoming Great American Conference Tournament. OBU has finished in the top three of the regular season standings for three straight years in the GAC, but this will be the first taste of postseason play as full members of NCAA Division II.
 
After a wire-to-wire victory in the first set Thursday, OBU dropped the second set to the Crimson Storm (14-17, 9-7 GAC) to even the match at 1-1. A 10-0 run early in the third set helped the Lady Bison cruise to an easy win, but SNU forced a fifth set with an extended-set victory in the fourth. OBU led 4-2 in the fifth but allowed five straight points and did not come closer than one point for the remainder of the match.
 
Three seniors suited up in the Noble Complex for the final time as Sophia Couto, Madyson Hillis and Cadyn Laing were honored on Senior Night.
 
Laing paced the Lady Bison with 17 kills, three service aces and added 19 digs for a double-double. Hayden Blair provided 47 assists and 15 digs, Kelsi Chavez added a team-high 30 digs while Couto and Nicole Fleitman each picked up six total blocks. OBU finished with a 12-3 advantage in team blocks.
 
Redshirt freshman Mikayla Watson finished with 16 kills and 19 digs, becoming the seventh player in program history to eclipse the 400-kill mark for a season. She currently has 404 kills, which is the eighth-best total for a Lady Bison.
 
GAC Tournament play is set to begin Nov. 16 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with the championship played on Nov. 18. The Lady Bison will open up the tournament against Ouachita at noon on Nov. 16 at Bank of the Ozarks Arena.