EDMOND, Okla. – The Edmond native duo of
Hayley Daniel and
Rylen Moore returned to their hometown on Wednesday evening and helped lead the Oklahoma Baptist volleyball team to a heroic fourth-set rally to clinch a historic win over (RV) Central Oklahoma, 3-1 (17-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-22), in Hamilton Field House.
It's the first win for OBU over the Bronchos since 1987 when UCO was known as Central State. Before Wednesday night, the Bison had won just one set in the previous four meetings since OBU Volleyball was revived in 2008.
Falling behind 17-9 in the fourth, OBU doggedly came back to tie the match at 20-all following a Daniel Kill from Moore. The Bison edged closer to victory, up 24-23, and Daniel, in front of a hometown crowd, laid down a line shot to secure match point.
After dropping the first set, the Bison used strong defense to tie up the score in the second half, holding the Bronchos to just a .060 hitting percentage while digging out 26 attack attempts. Moore led the strong defensive effort with eight digs while also dishing out seven assists.
The tireless back row work continued in the third set with
Diana Carranza, the reigning GAC Defensive Player of the Week, posting a 10-dig effort. As the defense led to offense,
Malia Leatherland overcame a slow start to lay down a team-best six kills in the frame, helping OBU to claim the set, 25-22, for a 2-1 lead.
Oklahoma Baptist, now 3-2, heads south of the Red River for the Patriot/Pioneer Tournament to close out the week. Up first for OBU is Pace at 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 13 in Dallas.
