SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist Volleyball faced a tough pair of losses to Southwest Minnesota State University and the University of West Florida on Saturday.
The Bison concluded their run at the SpringHill Suites Invitational with a couple of losses to SMSU and UWF. The SpringHill Suites Invitational welcomed five teams, all of which were picked to finish first in their conference.
Bison vs. Mustangs
The morning meeting with the Mustangs ended with a 3-0 score in favor of SMSU. The Bison led both teams with eight blocks.
Avery Hellmuth led Oklahoma Baptist in kills (10) and blocks (5).
Jill Leslie tallied nine kills and three blocks.
Set 1
In the opening set, SMSU was first to the board with a kill and an ace. An error from the opponent put the Bison on the board and a kill from
Rylee Unruh secured the second point for OBU to bring the total to 4-2 in favor of the Mustangs. A trio of errors from SMSU closed the gap, bringing the Bison to a one-point deficit at 11-10. A 3-0 run from the Mustangs sparked a three-score run for OBU to continue applying pressure. Another three consecutive points from SMSU added some distance on the scoreboard but a kill from the Mustangs led to another 3-0 run from the Bison to tie things up at 22-22. Each team went point for point as an error from SMSU tallied point 26 for OBU but a strong SMSU defense and an error from the Bison closed out the set with a 28-26 final.
Set 2
The second set continued in the same style as a neck-and-neck battle played out this time with the Bison taking the first two points. A block from Leslie saw OBU claim the 15
th point, but the Mustangs weren't far behind with a 4-0 run to regain the lead by three points.
Jh'Kyah Head added a kill for point 16 but SMSU took off with another three consecutive points. Both teams went point for point and a block from Hellmuth and Head marked the final point for OBU as a Mustang kill closed out the set at 25-21 in favor of the opponent.
Set 3
The third and final set started off slow but a two-point deficit for the Bison welcomed a four-score run with an error from the Mustangs, kills from Hellmuth and Head and a block from Hellmuth. SMSU took the following three points. A pair of 3-0 runs kept the Mustangs in the lead. Hellmuth blocked an attempt to tally the 17
thpoint for OBU but the next three went to the opponent to close out the set at 25-17 and the match at 3-0.
Bison vs. Argos
In the matchup against UWF, Hellmuth led the Bison with eight kills while Head and Leslie each contributed seven-a-piece. Unruh led OBU in aces with two.
Set 1
The Argos were first to the board. An error from UWF led to a 3-0 run to put the Bison in front by a couple of points at 4-2. A three-score run saw the host team take the lead back. A few multi-score runs from each team totaled a 20-15 score in favor of the Argos. The next four points went to the Bison to make for a one-point difference. A couple of kills from UWF totaled a 22-19 score. Head claimed the 20
th point for OBU but a kill from the Argos paired with a couple of errors from OBU sealed the deal on a 25-20 final for the first set.
Set 2
UWF started off strong in set two taking the first four points unanswered. Although the Bison kept on coming, the Argos led the entirety of the set.
Kenedy Houchin put the Bison on the board with a kill and some teamwork between Houchin and Leslie added another point to the board for OBU. UWF had a trio of 3-0 runs that ultimately did the Bison in. OBU secured two 3-0 runs and four 2-0 runs. Set two ended with a 25-20 final.
Set 3
A pair of 2-0 runs for OBU saw the Bison in front early with a 4-2 lead. UWF tabbed the next three points to retake the lead but an error from the Argos tied things up at 5-5. As the host team tallied four more points, Hellmuth laid down a kill to bring in the sixth point for the ladies in green. A consistent back and forth battle continued between the two until
Emily Boyer laid down a kill for the green and gold. An error from the Argos followed and Boyer served an ace to bring the total to 22-17 in favor of opponent. Unruh got in on the action with a kill of her own and another UWF error brought the deficit to three points. The host team found their final kick with a kill and a pair of aces to close out the set at 25-19 and the match at 3-0 for the Argos.
Next up
OBU Volleyball will host the University of Central Oklahoma for the Bison home opener. The 7 p.m. match will take place in Noble Complex. Click
here for tickets.
