SHAWNEE – Emily Boyer broke the program record for career aces, but #24 Oklahoma Baptist volleyball fell b a 3-2 score to Pittsburg State in its final match of the 2026 GAC-MIAA Crossover on Friday, Sept. 11 at the Noble Complex.
The Bison (9-4) took a 2-0 lead, but the Gorillas (10-1) rallied back to earn a hard-fought victory and grab their fifth-straight win.
In the first set, the Gorillas grabbed the first three points to take an early lead before the Bison cut the deficit to 11-7. OBU continued to build momentum and tied the score at 16-16 midway through the set.
The two teams would then take turns scoring until the Bison picked up a late lead at 21-20. Back-to-back service aces by
Rylee Unruh have the Bison a 23-20 edge, and
Taya McReynolds put down the set-ending kill to give the Bison a 1-0 edge in the match.
Friday's second set proved to be a tightly contested matchup, as neither team really asserted momentum. The Bison were able to win again by a score of 25-23, and the set was highlighted by Boyer's 138th career ace, good for a new school record.
The Bison dominated the early stages of the third set with a 10-3 lead, but Pittsburg State found a way to rally for a 25-23 set win of its own, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Pittsburg State fell behind early in the fourth set, but again battled back to earn a 25-22 fourth-set win and send things to a decisive fifth set.
In the fifth, both teams battled back and forth and neither was able to earn much separation. With things tied at 13-13, the Gorillas earned the final two points on a Bison attack error and a kill from Crystal Smith.
Unruh (20), McReynolds (15), and
Lauren Safrit (13) each tallied double-digit kills. Boyer had 51 assists, and
Mackenzie Frazee had nine blocks.
The Bison return to Great American Conference action on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at Southwestern Oklahoma State.
NOTES
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Emily Boyer became OBU's career service-ace leader, recording two aces against Pittsburg State to increase her career total to 138 and surpass the previous record of 137.
- Rylee Unruh recorded 20 kills and a season-high 23 digs, finishing the crossover with 1,038 career kills and 1,094 career digs.
- Boyer posted a career-high 26 digs while distributing 51 assists for an assist-dig double-double.
- Taya McReynolds recorded a career-high 15 kills, while Mackenzie Frazee established a career high with nine total blocks.
- OBU set season highs with 107 digs and 15 total blocks in the five-set match. Four of the five sets were decided by two points, and the match featured 34 ties and 17 lead changes.
