The Basics

Score: Evangel 3, Missouri Valley 1 | Box Score

Record: Evangel (9-9), MVC (10-10)

Location: Marshall, Mo. (Burns Athletic Center)

MARSHALL, Mo. – After a tough back and forth battle last Saturday with MNU, Evangel looked to rebound on the road against a tough Missouri Valley squad. The Valor fought hard and prevailed over the Vikings, 3-1.

The first set between both teams was a thrilling match as both teams traded points. Neither team could grab much of a lead and it looked like the team that went on the final run would pull out the set. Ultimately, that was the case. With the score at 20-19, Evangel ended the set on a 5-3 run, thanks to multiple kills by Bella Wakley and Vivianna Sanchez, taking the set, 25-22.

Evangel struggled to begin the second set. After a .345 attacking percentage in the first set, Evangel fell to a .133 attacking percentage. MVC kicked the set off with an early 5-0 run that the Valor were unable to fully recover from. By the time the second set had ended, the Valor fell, 25-17.

Although the third set was worse on the attack for Evangel than the second, the Vikings struggled mightily on the attack, hitting a low of .093 on the attack. The Valor capitalized on the Vikings miscues by taking an early 15-6 lead. MVC did not go down quietly though, finding a 9-2 run to trail 17-15. Momentum had swung in the Vikings favor, but the Valor fought through adversity and found rhythm on their attack. A Leah Jackson service ace accompanied by kills from Abi Menzies and Wakley helped push Evangel to a 25-21 victory in a big third set.

The Valor began the fourth set trailing 6-1 early, but again found life on offense, using a 3-0, 5-0, and 6-0 run at various points in the set to claim the victory, 25-17. Of Evangel's 25 points in the set, 14 were kills, good for a game high .407 attacking percentage that stemmed from great all-around offensive play.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Menzies and Wakley led the Valor with a team high of 13 kills.

• Sydney Dunavant led Evangel with 25 assists in the Tuesday night win.

• Eryn Russell finished with a team high 12 digs in the win.

• The Valor finished with seven total blocks in the game.

UP NEXT

Evangel will travel to North Newton, Kan., to take on Bethel and Haskell on Friday (Sept. 23) evening at 3:00 & 5:00 p.m., respectively.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.  

—#OneValor—