The Basics
Game 1: Evangel 3, Science and Arts 1 | Box Score
Game 2: Evangel 3, Paul Quinn 0 | Box Score
Record: Evangel (2-0), Science and Arts (2-1), Paul Quinn (1-2)
Location: Chickasha, Okla. (Drover Fieldhouse)
CHICKASHA, Okla. – Valor Volleyball opened their 2024 season on Friday (Aug. 23) morning, taking part in the USAO Tri-Match, looking to start their campaign off on the right foot.
The first match of the day saw Evangel take on the host school, USAO. Evangel fought to comebacks in the first two sets, and after dropping the third, rallied back with a strong set four win, taking a 3-1 win against the Drovers.
The Valor scored the first point in set one on a service ace from Kenna Wise, but USAO responded by going on a 8-3 run to take a 8-4 lead over EU. Loran Pritchett helped fuel the Valor offense by recording a pair of kills and a service ace to bring the Valor within a point of the Drovers. The turning point in the set came when the Valor pushed a 7-1 run to take a 19-16 lead over USAO. The Drovers did tie the score back up at 19-19, but four kills from Pritchett as well as a kill by Cienna Turner ended the set, giving EU a 25-21 win.
Evangel trailed for the majority of set two, going down by six points, 16-10, halfway through the set. The Valor used an 11-5 run to quickly tie the score up at 21-21, and after a point from USAO, EU used a kill from Vivianna Sanchez, a pair of blocks from the duo of Sanchez and Turner, and an attacking error to take a 25-22 win in set two.
Set three was different than set two, as the Valor stayed within reach of USAO for the majority of the set, including taking a three point lead, 18-15, over the Drovers. The difference in this set was that USAO founded the final run to push past Evangel, as a match low .096 attacking percentage for EU hurt the Valor, falling 25-21 in set three.
Set four began as a very close contest, with the Valor leading 13-12 midway through the set. Although the Drovers had kept the set close, Evangel used strong overall team play to fuel a 12-3 run to end the match, taking a convincing 25-15 win in set four and 3-1 win overall.
HIGHLIGHTS
The final match of the day featured Evangel taking on Paul Quinn.Â
Evangel and Paul Quinn played a tightly contested first set. Similar to the first set of Evangel's matchup with USAO, the Valor played from behind for the majority of play. The Valor captured their first lead on a Deryan Simpson kill, going ahead 14-13, before Paul Quinn pushed back out to a 17-15 lead. With the score tied at 22-22, a Bella Wakley service ace was followed by a kill from Sharayah Seymour and a Tiger attacking error, giving the Valor a narrow 25-23 win in set one.
In set two, Evangel took an early lead that they did not relinquish. A -.194 attacking percentage for Paul Quinn in the set proved detrimental, as the Valor used runs of 11-1 and 10-3 to take a 25-10 win in set two.
The Valor defense never allowed Paul Quinn back into the game after the second set, as Evangel forced the Tigers into tough shots that went out or right into the hands of a defender. Six different Valor athletes all recorded kills in the final set, with Evangel cruising to a 25-8 win and sweep of Paul Quinn.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Vivianna Sanchez led the team with nine kills and four blocks against Paul Quinn.
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Sydney Bryan recorded 21 assists to lead the team.
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Kenna Wise recorded 19 digs in the victory.
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This is Evangel's first time opening the season 2-0 since the shortened 2020 season.
UP NEXT
Evangel will hit the road on Friday (Aug. 30) afternoon, taking on College of the Ozarks and MidAmerica Christian in Point Lookout, Mo., at the Keeter Gymnasium.
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. Â
