CANYON, Texas – Oklahoma Baptist earned a 3-0 win over Western Colorado before being dealt a 3-1 defeat by host and 8
th-ranked West Texas on Saturday. With the results, the Bison started their 2025 campaign with a 3-1 record.
WESTERN COLORADO MATCH
Oklahoma Baptist opened day two of the BritKare Lady Buff Classic with a sweep of Western Colorado, winning 3-0.
The Bison remained in control during this match, finishing with a .223 hitting percentage compared to WCU's .075.
Rylee Unruh led the attack with nine kills and a .600 hitting percentage, also adding an ace and three digs.
Mackenzie Frazee followed closely with eight kills and three blocks, while
Lauren Safrit collected six kills on a .400 hitting percentage. Newcomer
Lillian Noble contributed five kills and led the team with four aces.
Setter
Emily Boyer recorded 13 assists with six digs and two aces, while freshman
Madi Barnes led with 16 assists and an ace.
Defensively, libero
Karsyn Hunter anchored the back row with 19 digs, helping the Bison hold the Mountaineers to 26 kills and forcing 18 errors.
OBU cruised through the first two sets with identical 25-17 scores. In the third set, Western Colorado pushed ahead to an 18-10 lead. The Bison responded with grit, using timely kills from Unruh and Frazee to even the score. In extra points, OBU completed the rally with a 27-25 win to secure the sweep.
Set One (25-17): OBU jumped out quickly, building a 10-5 lead. The Bison maintained a four-point advantage for the remainder of the set to secure the win.
Set Two (25-17): The Bison built off their momentum and opened with a six-point scoring run. With balanced offense and steady defense, OBU secured another 25-17 win.
Set Three (27-25): Western Colorado built an 18-10 advantage, forcing OBU to make a comeback. The Bison responded with four, 3 or more-point scoring runs in the last half of the set, clinching the sweep and securing a 27-25 win.
WEST TEXAS A&M MATCH
West Texas A&M protected its home floor Saturday evening, defeating Oklahoma Baptist 3-1 (25-13, 21-25, 25-18, 25-13) inside "The Box."
WT opened strong with a dominant first set, hitting .333 as Emma Becker and Taytum Stow set the tone at the net. Becker piled up a match-high 22 kills on a blistering .439 attack percentage, while Stow added 13 kills and seven blocks to fuel the Buffs' defense.
Oklahoma Baptist responded in the second, finding rhythm behind
Allie Stricker's steady presence. Stricker ended with 13 kills, while Frazee and Unruh chipped in nine and 11, respectively. The Bison hit .333 in the frame and evened the match with a 25-21 win.
Momentum swung back in WT's favor in the third set, where the Buffs capitalized on eight Bison attack errors.
The Buffs closed the match emphatically in the fourth, hitting a staggering .682 with 15 kills against no errors. Becker and Stow once again led the charge, combining for 10 kills in the decisive frame.
West Texas A&M finished with 56 kills to OBU's 47, holding a 72-55 advantage in points. The Buffs also controlled the net with eight total blocks compared to Oklahoma Baptist's five.
For OBU, it was led by Stricker and Unruh who each tallied double-digit kill totals. Plus, Hunter notched 13 digs.
On Sept. 9, the Bison will head to Edmond to face seventh-ranked Central Oklahoma. Opening serve is set for 6 p.m.
