MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Led by
Taneyah Brown and
Malia Leatherland, Oklahoma Baptist battled back from an early 1-0 deficit to dispatch Southern Arkansas on the road in Great American Conference action.
The win, a 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-18) affair, as well as results elsewhere around the league, moves OBU into sole possession atop the GAC standings.
After struggling through the first set – recording 10 kills against 10 attacking errors in the process – Brown and Leatherland went to work, combining for 11 kills in the second set to level the match at 1-1. Brown led the way, swinging .667 in the second as OBU committed just one attacking error on 34 attack attempts.
While the offense took a slight dip in efficiency in the third set, Brown and Leatherland continued their offensive production with a combined five kills. However, the defense chipped in with two total blocks from
Audrey Poupard and a solo stuff by
Rylen Moore.
Down 9-7 in the fourth, Leatherland triggered an eight-kill run that effectively put the match away for good. Up 22-17, Brown and Leatherland finished what they started and laid down the final three kills of the match for OBU to secure the victory.
Rylen Moore dished out 29 assists and chipped in defensively with 10 digs, while
Diana Carranza had a team-high 15 digs.
Oklahoma Baptist (18-4, 7-1 GAC) return to action tomorrow at 11 AM when they square off with Arkansas-Monticello in Monticello to close out the two-match road swing. History will be made as Leatherland needs just one kill against UAM to reach the 1,000-kill mark for her career.
