ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Spurred on by a strong end to the first set, Oklahoma Baptist swept Henderson State on Friday in Great American Conference play at the Duke Wells Center.
The Bison improved to 14-8 overall and 8-3 in the GAC with the result.
Key Leaders
First Set
Resiliency was the appropriate term for the Bison in the first. They trailed throughout, tied the scoreboard a few times and at the end, hit a 5-2 stretch to prevail 25-22. After Safrit tied the set at 21 with her fourth kill, the green and gold scored three straight which included a block from Head and Hellmuth along with a kill by Head. OBU's final point came from Boyer. HSU also committed a handful of attack errors down the stretch which helped the visitors.
Second Set
It was all OBU in the second, especially on the defensive end. It held the Reddies to a match-low .024 attack percentage while collecting 21 digs and four blocks. West and Hellmuth's block assist had the Bison leading 10-4 before OBU went up 17-7 on a block by Leslie. Five different players ended up contributing on the blocking front. Offensively, Head posted five kills on six swings for an .833 attack mark.
Third Set
The final stanza was much like the first. OBU pushed out to a 7-2 lead following
D'Erricka Frierson and Leslie's block assist. Safrit then doubled up the advantage at 14-7 after an ace. The freshman also aided on the defensive end with six digs. Henderson was able to close the gap to 23-21 after an ace, however, the Bison got the last two points via Leslie kill and a setting error.
On The Horizon
OBU will return home on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. to face Northwestern Oklahoma State. Earlier this season, the Rangers won 3-1 over the green and gold.
