The Basics

Game 1: Evangel 3, USAO 0 | Box Score

Game 2: Evangel 3, Mission 0 | Box Score

Record: Evangel (6-0), USAO (4-5), Mission (0-8)

Location: Point Lookout, Mo. (Keeter Gymnasium)

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – Valor Volleyball concluded their road trip on Saturday (Aug. 31) afternoon, taking on USAO and Mission, in search of continuing their perfect win streak to open the season.

Evangel dominated in their first match of the day, facing off with the Drovers who they had beat last week in Chickasha. USAO looked like a completely different team on Saturday, as the Valor won big in set two, 25-9, and set three, 25-6, to sweep USAO.

The Valor offense jumped on the Drovers early in set one, going on an 8-2 run to open the set behind five kills from Loran Pritchett. USAO did not back down in the first set, tying up the score 17-17, before Bella Wakley, Vivianna Sanchez, and Cienna Turner began to dominate, fueling a 8-3 run to take set one, 25-20.

Evangel put forth their most dominant set of the season in set two, swinging a .407 attacking percentage while holding the Drovers to a -.182 attacking percentage. The Valor were able to push out to a 10-2 lead and finished the set off before USAO could hit double digits on the scoreboard, taking a 25-9 win in the second set.

It felt like nothing could top set two, but set three was close for the Valor offense, as Evangel's service could not be stopped. After leading the Valor to a 10-6 lead, Loran Pritchett successfully served 15 serves, recording aces on five of her serves, to give the Valor a 15-0 run in the set, taking an unbelievable 25-6 win in the final set, giving EU their fourth consecutive sweep of the year.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Bella Wakley finished with a team high 14 kills.

• Jessica Pritchett led the team with 24 assists in the win.

• Loran Pritchett recorded 17 digs to lead the team, while also recording five service aces, all coming in the final set.

• Deryan Simpson finished with four blocks in the win over USAO.

The final match of the day featured Evangel taking on Mission University. 

The Valor swung a blazing .429 hitting percentage in set one against Mission, their highest attacking percentage in a set this season. Evangel trailed just once in the opening set with Mission, using strong offensive play to keep the Mission defense on their heels, taking a 25-15 win in set one.

In set two, Evangel again trailed just once, 2-1, but again the usual suspects of Bella Wakley and Loran Pritchett drove the Valor offense to a win in the second set, 25-16.

Fatigue began to set in in the final set for the Valor, as Mission opened the set on a 12-6 run to take a big lead over EU. The Valor were able to lock in and reset, going on a 7-0 run to recapture the lead, 13-12, over Mission. The Patriots did not back down, tying the score at 16-16, before Evangel ended the set on a 9-2 run to take the final set, 25-18.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Loran Pritchett led the team with 12 kills against Mission.

• Jessica Pritchett recorded 18 assists to lead the team.

• Kenna Wise recorded 14 digs in the victory.

• Vivianna Sanchez had another strong game at the net, recording seven blocks.

• This is Evangel's first time opening the season 6-0 since the 2019 season.

UP NEXT

Evangel opens their home schedule on Tuesday (Sept. 3) evening at 7:00 p.m. against the Stephens Stars in the Ashcroft Center.

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.