CANYON, TX – Oklahoma Baptist volleyball opened the 2026 season with a pair of victories Friday, sweeping Tuskegee before defeating Adams State 3-1 on the opening day of the BritKare Lady Buff Classic. Melody Donegan and Rylee Unruh combined for 48 kills as the Bison improved to 2-0.

OBU hit better than .400 in its first match and recorded seven service aces against Tuskegee. The Bison got contributions from up and down the roster as six different players recorded at least six kills in a match, including Donegan and Unruh, who each reached double digits against Adams State.

Match 1: OBU 3, Tuskegee 0 (25-13, 25-10, 25-21)
The Bison used a 7-0 run midway through the first set to turn a 13-10 edge into a 20-10 advantage and cruise to a 25-13 win. In the second set, OBU went on another 6-0 run to race out to a 13-4 lead en route to a 25-10 second-set victory. OBU built another sizable lead in the third set at 13-5, but Tuskegee used a five-point run late to trim the deficit to 24-21 before Madi Barnes ended the match with a kill.

Donegan and Unruh each had eight kills, while Emily Boyer finished with 23 assists. Elle Parisi led the defensive effort with seven digs, and Morgan Hamel had a match-high two blocks. Bella Chittum was a perfect 6-for-6 on the attack. As a team, OBU hit .440 and held the Golden Tigers to just .155.

Match 2: OBU 3, Adams State 1 (25-19, 25-15, 18-25, 25-11)
Oklahoma Baptist faced a stiffer challenge against Adams State as the teams battled through a competitive opening set. With the score tied at 10-10, the Bison mounted a 7-1 run to take a 16-10 lead en route to a 25-19 first-set victory. The second set was also back and forth early on, but OBU mounted an 8-1 run midway through the set to turn a one-point lead (12-11) into a 19-12 advantage on its way to a 25-15 set win.

Adams State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third set and never trailed on its way to a 25-18 third-set victory that pushed the match to a fourth set. In the fourth, the Bison used a 9-1 run to turn a 7-6 edge into a 16-7 lead, and went on to score eight points in a row to close out the set, 25-11, and earn their second win of the day.

Donegan posted a career-high 15 kills in the win, while Unruh led all players with 17 kills of her own. Parisi had a career-best 15 digs while Boyer (14) and Unruh (13) also had double-digit dig totals. Mackenzie Frazee added three blocks and the Bison limited the Grizzlies to just .132 on the attack.

NOTES
• Boyer tallied 62 assists on the day, increasing her career total to 2,393 to move into second place in school history in career assists
• OBU has won 11-straight neutral-site contests dating back to last year
• The Bison improved to 2-1 all-time against Adams State and 1-0 all-time against Tuskegee

UP NEXT
OBU will close out the BritKare Lady Buff Classic on Saturday with matches against Wisconsin-Parkside (1 p.m.) and #19 West Texas A&M (6 p.m.). The Bison open their home slate on Tuesday against #12 Central Oklahoma (6 p.m.).