ARKADELPHIA,
Ark. - Oklahoma Baptist overpowered Henderson State, rallying after a slow start to secure a 3–1 road victory (25–22, 25–15, 25–16, 25–15), while improving to 16–6 overall and 8–2 in GAC play.
After dropping the opening set, the Bison settled in and dominated the rest of the match behind a strong offense and pressure from the serving line. OBU finished with a .261 team hitting percentage, holding HSU to just .146.
OBU completely shifted the tone in set two, erupting with a .481 hitting percentage on 15 kills and just two errors. That surge carried into the remainder of the match as the Bison maintained full control through the final two frames.
Rylee Unruh led the offense with 18 kills and 17 digs while
Melody Donegan followed closely with 13 kills on a .323 hitting percentage.
Allie Stricker added nine kills and
Mackenzie Frazee contributed eight kills and three blocks.
Setter
Emily Boyer orchestrated the offense with 27 assists, 13 digs, and five aces. Freshman
Madi Barnes also contributed 15 assists and 17 digs.
OBU's dominance was especially evident from the service line, where the Bison tallied a school-record 17 aces, including five from Boyer and four from Barnes. That consistently disrupted Henderson's rhythm and kept the Reddies off balance.
The previous single-match program record was 16 aces attained Sept. 17, 2010 against Dallas Christian.
Defensively, the Bison out-dug Henderson 89–84 and totaled eight blocks, with Frazee, Unruh and
Addison Dale stabilizing the net to shut down HSU's attack. In fact, that group helped hold the hosts to a negative hitting percentage in the fourth set (-0.022).
Oklahoma Baptist returns to action on Friday, Oct. 24, at Ouachita at 5 p.m. The Tigers have won 10 matches in a row.
