The Basics

Game 1: Evangel 3, Louisiana Christian 0 | Box Score

Game 2: Evangel 3, #21 Nelson 2 | Box Score

Record: Evangel (7-1), Louisiana Christian (0-3), Nelson (2-6) 

Location: Waxahachie, Texas (Schaeffer Center)

WAXAHACHIE, Texas – Valor Volleyball concluded the Texas Two-Step on Saturday (Aug. 30) afternoon, taking on Louisiana Christian and nationally ranked #21 Nelson, looking to earn a pair of wins in Texas. Evangel dominated Louisiana Christian, using their strong defense to force the Wildcats to swing negatively in a 3-0 sweep. In a battle of sister schools, Evangel and Nelson proved to be worth the price of admission. Despite trailing two sets to one, the Valor battled and swung momentum back into their court, taking a 3-2 win over the 21st-ranked team in the nation.

Charlotte Hawkins and Bella Wakley fueled the Valor offense to a 13-4 lead over Louisiana Christian in set one, as the Wildcats had no answer for Evangel's offense. The Wildcats would score their 10th point in the set by the time EU had 22, as the Valor took a 25-12 win in set one.

Set two proved to be a closer affair, as LCU trailed by just three points, 15-12, but a trio of kills from Cienna Turner, paired with kills from Vivianna Sanchez and attacking errors from the Wildcats allowed EU to take a 25-13 win in the second set.

In the third and final set of Saturday's matchup with LCU, the Wildcats jumped out to an early lead over the Valor, 8-7, but the lead did not last long for Louisiana Christian. Several attack errors paired with kills from several different Valor attackers pushed the Valor out to a 18-7 run to end the set in a 25-15 win for EU.

Evangel took on their sister school, Nelson, in game two of the day. Both teams battled in the first set and neither team could grab much of a lead. With EU trailing 17-16, the Valor offense, led by Bella Wakley, generated a 9-3 run, with five kills coming from Wakley to take a 25-20 win in set one.

Nelson bounced back in the second set of the day, taking a 24-14 lead over EU. Wakley again helped push Evangel back into the set, using a 5-0 run to trail 24-19. Unfortunately for the Valor, it was too little too late, as Evangel fell 25-19 in set two.

Charlotte Hawkins and Cienna Turner both helped push the Valor offense to a 21-20 lead in the third set, but the Valor let the lead slip through their fingers, as Nelson took advantage of a trio of attacking errors to close the set on a 5-0 run, taking a 2-1 set lead in a 25-21 win.

Despite dropping consecutive sets, Evangel continued to fight, using several kills from Sharayah Seymour and Vivianna Sanchez to grab an early lead. Wakley continued to demonstrate her offensive prowess, guiding Evangel to a 25-21 win in the fourth set, forcing the fifth and final set of the game.

An early 7-2 run by Evangel in the fifth set proved to be the difference maker, as Nelson was unable to claw their way back into the game. A pair of kills from Seymour paired with a block from Turner and Seymour gave EU the 15-11 win over #21 Nelson on Saturday.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Bella Wakley led Evangel with 30 combined kills on Saturday, including 23 in the win over #21 Nelson.

• Jessica Pritchett led the team with 49 combined assists.

• Kenna Wise finished her evening with 46 combined digs to lead the team.

• Vivianna Sanchez recorded eight total blocks.

• Wakley recorded a team high three service aces on Saturday.

UP NEXT

The Valor will travel to Point Lookout to take on College of the Ozarks on Wednesday (Sept. 3) evening at 6:00 p.m.

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.