RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Oklahoma Baptist battled fell in straight sets to Arkansas Tech on Saturday, 26-24, 30-28, 25-13, inside Tucker Coliseum. The loss moved the Bison to 13-6 overall and 5-2 in Great American Conference play, while the Golden Suns improved to 9-8 overall and matched OBU's conference record at 5-2.
Arkansas Tech led in all major statistical categories, posting a .248 hitting percentage compared to OBU's .152. The Golden Suns outperformed the Bison in kills (48-35), assists (46-31), aces (10-4), blocks (5-3), and digs (69-59) too.
Rylee Unruh led the Bison with nine kills and 15 digs, while middle hitter
Mackenzie Frazee added eight kills on an efficient .375 hitting percentage.
Lauren Safrit contributed five kills and two block assists, and
Melody Donegan added five kills and one dig.
Setter
Emily Boyer guided the offense with 23 assists and two aces, while libero
Karsyn Hunter anchored the back row with 16 digs.
Despite competitive play early, the Bison came up just short in the opening two sets.
Set One (26-24): OBU battled back from an early deficit, using multiple three-point scoring runs to tie the set at 24-24 before Arkansas Tech closed with three consecutive points to secure the win.
Set Two (30-28): OBU's most competitive set featured long rallies and back-and-forth play the whole way. Both teams exchanged multiple scoring runs of three points or more, keeping the score tight throughout. The Bison hit .228 in the set and pushed the Golden Suns to extra points, but Arkansas Tech capitalized on two kills to edge out a 30-28 win.
Set Three (25-13): Arkansas Tech seized momentum early and remained in control, hitting .478 in the final frame to complete the sweep.
Oklahoma Baptist continues GAC play at home on Thursday, Oct. 16, when it host Southern Arkansas at Noble Complex.
