Northwestern comes up short in GAC opener
September 7, 2018
SHAWNEE, Oklahoma – Northwestern Oklahoma State University's volleyball team (8-1, 0-0) fell to the Bison of Oklahoma Baptist University (3-6, 0-0) in their Great American Conference opener, losing 1-3 [23-25,25-12,19-25,18-25].
Lady Rangers and the Bison fought the first set score back and forth until the Bison got just the momentum they needed. Tied at 16-16 a costly error from the Lady Rangers would spark a fire for the Bison that the Black and Red could not put out. Northwestern played the first set tight against a savvy Oklahoma Baptist team, but could not put the finishing touch on the set, losing 23-25.
The second set saw a revived Lady Ranger team, as they broke out to a quick 12-6 lead and never let the Bison catch up. Senior Hannah Williams played her part, racking up seven of the team's 18 kills. Northwestern held Oklahoma Baptist to a .118 hitting percentage, dominating the second set 25-12.
It seemed that the Black and Red had found their rhythm starting out strong like the second set, leading 12-8, but the Bison had no intentions of going away so easily. Northwestern held the lead up until the halfway mark where it was all tied 14-14; however, Kiauna Clark’s eighth kill of the night would put the Lady Rangers back up. But the Bison did not budge, winning their second set 19-25.
In what would be the last set of the Lady Rangers' GAC opener, they would not be able to gain any momentum to stop the Bison, who had a full head of steam. The Lady Rangers were held to a dismal .108 compared to the Bison .250 hitting percentage, finishing the last set in four 18-25.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University moved to an 8-2 record overall and a 0-1 start in the GAC. There is still a lot of season left, and the Black and Red will bounce back, as they move on to the MIAA-GAC Crossover in Edmond. They will play University of Central Oklahoma on Sept. 7 at 12 p.m. and Pittsburg State University at 4 p.m.
For the latest news and updates on Lady Ranger Volleyball, follow @NWOSUAthletics on Twitter or visit http://www.riderangersride.com.
Reader Comments(0)