SHAWNEE – The Bison hosted the SWOSU Bulldogs for a Monday evening meeting, ending in favor of the visitors.
The green and gold fell short in the fifth set against the Bulldogs Monday night, securing a 2-0 record for SWOSU over OBU in the 2024 season.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University took the opening pair of sets with 25-23 and 29-27 scores. The Bison took the next two sets 25-14 and 25-23. The final set went to the visitors with a 15-7 total to finish out the five-set battle in favor of SWOSU.
OBU tallied 84.0 points, 68 kills, a new team high in digs with 113 on the evening, nine service aces, seven blocks and 61 assists.
Allie Stricker earned a new season-high of 17 kills to lead the Bison.
Jill Leslie added 15 kills for OBU and
Rylee Unruh totaled 14 on the evening. Unruh earned a new career high of four aces and
Emily Boyer tallied four as well.
Avery Hellmuth (3), Leslie (3) and
Kenedy Houchin (1) made up the Bison defensive with a handful of blocks. Boyer totaled 57 assists on the evening. Unruh led the team with 24 digs.
Lauren Safrit follow suit with 22 digs and Boyer with 18.
Set 1
The opening frame saw the Bison take the first four points with kills from Leslie and
Jh'Kyah Head, an ace from Boyer and an error from the visitors. A couple of 3-0 runs from OBU gave the Bison a 17-12 total. The Bulldogs responded with a four-score run to make it a one-point difference. The green and gold took the next two points, but a trio of points came across for SWOSU to knot things up at 19-19. A pair of Bulldogs errors gave the Bison the lead back, but the visitors took the next three to take the lead by one at 22-21. The following pair of points tied but a couple of errors from OBU saw the Bulldogs take the first set, 25-23.
Set 2
The SWOSU defense claimed the first point of the second set with a block. The next pair of points went to the Bison with a kill from Leslie and an ace from Boyer. The Bulldogs added a pair of points but a kill from Stricker tied things up at three-a-piece and an ace from
Karsyn Hunter gave OBU their first lead. The visitors tied things up with a kill, but Unruh claimed the next point for the home team with a kill. A 2-0 run for SWOSU tied things up at 7-7. The next five points went to OBU with kills from Unruh, Stricker and Hellmuth and a pair of aces from Unruh for a 12-7 Bison lead. Stricker came in with the 13
th point for the green and gold, but a four-score run for SWOSU kept the Bulldogs in the game. The home team jumped ahead with a 4-0 run comprised of kills from Leslie and Head and a block from Leslie for a 17-12 lead. The Bulldogs chipped away at the deficit with a pair of two-score runs to close the gap. At 20-17, OBU, the visitors found their fight with a 6-0 run to take the lead, 23-20. Hellmuth added a kill and an error from SWOSU brought the total to 23-22. A kill from the visitors saw the Bulldogs first to 24. The green and gold took the next two points to knot things up at 24. SWOSU tallied their 25
th point but the next two went to the Bison for the lead at 26-25. Leslie brought the Bison total to 27 with a kill. A trio of Bulldog kills saw the set tie and then fall in favor of the visitors with a 29-27 set two final.
Set 3
The third set opened with a point from SWOSU. Head laid down a kill for OBU to put the Bison on the board. The Bulldogs took the next three points. With a 7-3 SWOSU lead, the green and gold got back to work with a 9-0 run for a 12-7 lead. The impressive nine-point run was compiled of kills from Unruh, Stricker, Hellmuth, and a pair of aces from Unruh, paired with a few Bulldogs errors. From there, the Bison maintained their lead for the remainder of the set. A pair of 2-0 runs and three-score runs did the heavy lifting for the Bison the rest of the set. Kills from Hellmuth and Leslie brought the action to set point, and a Bulldog error sealed the deal for OBU, keeping the match alive with a 25-14 final in set three.
Set 4
Leslie and Stricker got the ball rolling in the fourth frame with back-to back kills to put the Bison on the board first. A pair of points came in for SWOSU to tie things up at the five-point mark. A couple came across for OBU and another pair were added for the Bulldogs for a tie at 7-7. Another tie saw the eighth point but the green and gold claimed the next three for a 11-8 lead. A kill from Unruh tallied 14 points for the Bison but the Bulldogs answered with a 4-0 run to claim the lead. Point 17 welcomed another tie. A trio of points came across for the visitors to regain their lead at 20-17. OBU battled back with three points of their own with kills form Hellmuth, Boyer and Stricker for a 20-20 tie. The next three points saw ties but Leslie and Houchin closed the door on SWOSU with a pair of kills for a 25-23 set four final.
Set 5
The fifth and final saw the Bulldogs first on the board with a couple of points. Stricker added the first point for OBU. The next pair of points went to the visitors for a 4-1 lead. The green and gold responded with a pair of point for a one-point difference. SWOSU took the following three points, claiming a 7-3 total over the home team. A block from Hellmuth brought the Bison total to four but a 3-0 Bulldog run made for a 10-4 visitor lead. Unruh, Leslie and Hellmuth contributed to the OBU total with a trio of kills but the a final pair of kills from the Bulldogs closed out the night in favor of SWOWSU with a 15-7 final for set three and a 3-2 match.
Next Up
The green and gold are back on the road for a Thursday night battle at Southern Nazarene University. The Bison will head to Bethany for a 6 p.m. match as the regular season quickly comes to a close.
Nov. 12 will honor the Bison Volleyball seniors as OBU hosts East Central University. The 7 p.m. match will serve as the 2024 Senior Day.
