ROLLA, Mo. – Oklahoma Baptist (5-5) had a 2-0 match lead but later had to win in the fifth set against Missouri S&T on Thursday during the Miner Classic. The Bison were able to even their record in the process.
Key Leaders
- MB Jill Leslie: Tied for the team lead with 14 kills and a .406 attack mark.
- OH Lauren Safrit: Also notched 14 kills with eight digs.
- MB Avery Hellmuth: Registered 13 kills and attack percentage of .478.
- RS Jh'Kyah Head: Tied her career-high with 12 kills.
- L Maci Langford: Her 25 digs were a match-high and her second-highest total in 2023.
- S Rylee Martin: Dished out a season-high 33 assists which also tied her career-best mark.
First Set
There was no dominant team in the opening stanza which saw a slew of tie scores, nine to be exact. Each squad hit at least .256, were virtually dead-even in digs (20-19 S&T) and both tallied a pair of aces. With the score tied at 21-all, the Bison got back-to-back points from Leslie before S&T tied it again at 23 following a Mia Alessio ace. However, OBU secured a 1-0 match lead courtesy of a Hellmuth kill and Miners error after that.
Second Set
After an early tussle, with the score knotted up at 9-9, the green and gold scored five in a row. There were kills by Leslie and Hellmuth, and an ace by Martin, to help OBU lead 14-9. The hosts never really closed the gap after that as the Bison pulled away. OBU hit .294 while defending the Miners very well, limiting them to a .114 mark. Head led the Bison with five kills in the second.
Third Set
In one of the most lopsided sets in recent memory, S&T shook off elimination with a 25-9 third-set win. Five of their first 10 points came via ace. Alessio had three of those as the Miners raced out to a 10-2 lead. For the Bison, they hit -.024 and went into a fourth set.
Fourth Set
Even more shocking than the stanza before, the green and gold blew a 24-19 lead in the fourth. S&T scored five straight, with the help of two kills by Jordan Burton and Madelyn Mason and two Bison errors. With the score tied at 24, the Miners tied the match winning two of the next three points. Burton had seven kills in the fourth as S&T hit .302.
Fifth Set
All was not lost though as the Bison won the fifth. Down by two, 7-5, OBU reeled off five consecutive points. Safrit secured two points for the Bison, while fellow freshman
Emily Boyer added another to boost the Bison lead to 10-7. S&T never tied it after that and Head's kill at the end helped OBU win 15-13.
On The Horizon
Tomorrow morning at 10, the Bison will face the Upper Iowa Peacocks (4-3) to close their week.
