Alva Review-Courier -

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – (HTML Box Score) Oklahoma Baptist won the first volleyball match of 2017 with a 3-0 (28-26, 25-20, 25-17) sweep of Barton College Friday at the Bahama House Classic. It was the first contest for any OBU team since the university officially became a full member of NCAA Division II earlier today.

Junior Nicole Fleitman filled up the stat sheet to lead the way for a decisive OBU victory. She finished with seven kills, 11 assists, 10 digs, six block assists and three service aces in the season opener.

The Lady Bison won a highly contested first set 28-26, with senior Cadyn Laing putting OBU over the top with the final kill on an assist from Fleitman. After leading the Bulldogs 21-16 late in the first frame, the Lady Bison held off a late push from Barton to take a 1-0 advantage.

OBU started to pull away in the second set, taking a decisive advantage with a 25-20 win. The Lady Bison gained an early 5-4 lead and never trailed for the remainder of the set. With a hitting percentage of .270 in the set, it was the most efficient frame of the match.

Midway through the third set of the match, the Lady Bison trailed the Bulldogs 14-15 before ripping off six straight points as part of a 10-3 run to seal the OBU victory. The run was propelled by kills from Fleitman, freshman Malia Leatherland, and Sophia Couto. Leatherland finished the match with seven kills in her first collegiate action.

Mikayla Watson paced the team with eight kills, Hayden Blair finished with 18 assists and freshman libero Kelsi Chavez earned a team-high 12 digs in her Lady Bison debut. Freshmen Katie Ray and Brecken Roquemore also made their first appearances in green and gold, combining for two kills and one block.

Now 1-0, the Lady Bison will face host school Embry-Riddle (Fla.) at 6 p.m Central Friday night.