The Basics
Score: Evangel 3, Wayland Baptist 2 | Box Score
Record: Evangel (2-1), Wayland Baptist (1-3)
Location: Oklahoma City, Okla. (Abe Lemons Arena)
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Evangel Volleyball concluded the OKC Stars Invite on Saturday (Aug. 22) afternoon, taking on the Wayland Baptist Pioneers, aiming to finish the invitational with an above .500 record. The Valor and Pioneers would batt;e on Saturday and ultimately, Evangel came out on top in a fierce five-set battle with senior Simone Johnson leading the charge.
Evangel jumped out to an early 11-6 lead in set one on Saturday, but the Pioneers quickly responded, going on a 18-4 run to lead 24-15. Despite it appearing the set was lost, the Valor continued to battle, as the Valor took advantage of WBU attacking errors and recorded kills of their own to draw within a point, 24-23. Unfortunately, the run came too little, too late, as Evangel dropped the first set, 25-23.
The Valor were able to force nine Wayland Baptist attacking errors in set two, but the set remained competitive, as neither team was able to get much of a lead on the scoreboard. Leading 18-17, Evangel closed out the set on a 7-1 run, as Jessica Pritchett added a pair of kills along with a Addison Jones service ace to close the set, 25-18.
Set three played similar to set one, except the teams were switched, as Evangel held a 22-16 lead before Wayland Baptist generated a late run. The Pioneers would come within a point of tying the game up, 23-22, but an Abby Ferguson kill and block from Ferguson and Pritchett closed out the set, giving the Valor a 25-22 win and 2-1 lead in sets won.
Set four proved to be competitive throughout, but Wayland Baptist held a narrow lead for the majority of the second half of the set. Trailing 23-19, back-to-back service aces from Addison Allen, paired with kills from Charlotte Hawkins and Simone Johnson gave the Valor a 24-23 lead. Wayland Baptist did not fold late though, as the Pioneers closed the set on a 4-1 run, taking a 27-25 win in set four, forcing a fifth and final set.
In the race to 15 points, Evangel trailed, 4-2, but did not let the early deficit deter them. Tying the game up at 7-7, Evangel rattled off four straight points to capture a 11-7 lead, and ultimately were able to keep the Pioneers at arms length the rest of the way, as Hawkins used a pair of kills to close the game and give EU the 15-11 win on Saturday.
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
Evangel Volleyball competes in their home opener on Tuesday (Aug. 25) night against Central Methodist 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. Â
—#OneValor—
