The Basics

Score: Evangel 2, College of the Ozarks 3 | Box Score

Record: Evangel (7-2), College of the Ozarks (5-0) 

Location: Point Lookout, Mo. (Keeter Gymnasium)

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – Valor Volleyball traveled just south of Springfield on Wednesday (Sept. 3) evening, taking on longtime rival College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout. After taking three consecutive matches against C of O, the Valor came out slow, but battled back, forcing a fifth set after dropping the first two. A decisive fifth set went past the 15th point, as the Bobcats ultimately pulled out the win, 19-17, in the final set.

In set one, the Bobcats came out with a strong attack, as Evangel could not slow C of O, who swung .419 in the first set, recording 16 kills to just three errors. After leading very early in the set, Evangel found themselves in a hole that they could not climb out of, falling 25-18 in set one.

The second set on Wednesday went similarly to set one, as the Bobcats again hit a strong .321 attacking percentage. Evangel hurt their chances by committing 10 errors in the second set, as EU's defense struggled to find their feet in the first two sets, falling 25-19.

The momentum began to swing in the third set of Wednesday's game, as the Valor offense began to warm up, as well as Evangel's defense at the net. The Bobcats finished the third set with just four kills and six errors, as the Valor dominated to take a 25-12 win in the third period.

Evangel's offense would not be denied in set four, as a .412 attacking percentage swung the momentum fully into the Valor's favor. Bella Wakley and Vivianna Sanchez heated up offensively for EU and the Valor defense played well to take a 25-14 win in the fourth set, forcing a fifth and final set on Wednesday.

C of O took an early lead in the final set, hitting the eight point mark before Evangel as both teams switched sides. The Valor fought to come back in the set, having several opportunities to take a lead, but unable to find the one point to put the game away. Evangel was able to grab a one point lead after the 15 point threshold, but could not score the game winner, as the Bobcats went on a 3-0 run to close out the set, forcing EU to fall 19-17. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Bella Wakley led Evangel with 13 kills in the loss.

• Jessica Pritchett led the team with 20 combined assists.

• Wakley and Pritchett finished with a team high 14 digs.

• Vivianna Sanchez recorded nine total blocks.

• Brooke Daniels and Addison Jones both led EU with two service aces each.

UP NEXT

The Valor will play host to Mission, Bethany, and Texas A&M-Texarkana next Friday and Saturday for the Evangel Quad Classic.

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.