The Basics

Score: Evangel 1, College of the Ozarks 3 | Box Score

Record: Evangel (6-9), College of the Ozarks (12-7)

Location: Point Lookout, Mo. (Keeter Gymnasium)

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – Valor Volleyball concluded their span of road trips on Tuesday (Sept. 26) evening, taking on long-time rival College of the Ozarks. Looking to take home a win against the Bobcats, Evangel fell just short, losing in four sets to their rival, 3-1.

The Valor came out cold on offense, hitting just .050 to C of O's .143. With the game tied at three apiece, C of O went on a 6-0 run to take a 9-3 lead. Evangel quickly answered the Bobcats' run with a 6-0 run of their own, evening the score back up at 9-9. Playing point for point against one another, C of O found the final run of the game, using an 8-2 run to take set one over Evangel.

Evangel would get their offense clicking in set two, recording 16 kills in the set on just four errors. The Valor were able to get off to a hot start, using kills from nearly all hitters on the floor, including a trio from Mallory Dick and Abi Menzies. Although Evangel was able to push out to a 16-8 lead, C of O would get as close as four points on three different occasions. Mallory Dick would end the set for the Valor, using a strong hit into the floor to give EU the 25-20 win in set two.

Evangel was never able to recover from an early 8-2 run by the Bobcats in set three. Every opportunity that came for the Valor to open up a run was met by a block from C of O or an attacking error by Evangel. The Valor came as close as three points in the set (16-13), but kills from the Bobcats as well as errors from Evangel proved to be the difference as EU fell 25-19 in set three.

In the fourth and ultimately final set, Evangel and C of O traded the lead back and forth. Neither team could get more than a three point lead over the other and with the score at 15-14 in favor of the Valor, an Abi Menzies kill pushed EU to a 16-14 lead. The Bobcats would respond with an 8-2 run of their own, taking a 22-18 lead over Evangel that proved too large for the Valor to overcome, as EU fell in the final set, 25-21.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Mallory Dick was the bright spot for Evangel's attack on Tuesday, finishing with 15 kills.

• Leah Jackson led the team with 23 assists in the loss.

• Vivianna Sanchez recorded five blocks against C of O.

UP NEXT

Evangel returns home on Saturday (Sept. 30) afternoon at noon to take on the Tabor Bluejays in a conference matchup.

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.