Box
Score
TULSA, Okla. �€" After taking an early 2-0 lead, the
Oral Roberts University volleyball team held off a late rally to
down the University of Tulsa, 3-1 (30-21, 30-17, 25-30, 30-28), in
front of 489 Tuesday night at the Aerobics Center. The match marked
the 68th all-time meeting between the cross-town rivals, with ORU
now holding a 57-11 series lead.
Ori Zuzic (Porec, Croatia) led the way for the
Golden Eagles (20-9), recording her 17th double-double of the year
with 21 kills and 12 digs. She also added four service aces and
three blocks while hitting .432.
ORU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, overpowering the visitors en
route to 30-21 and 30-17 wins in games one and two, respectively.
The ORU defense was especially dominant in game two, holding TU
(22-6) to a -.031 attack percentage with eight errors and only
seven kills.
The Golden Hurricane refused to go away quietly, however, combining
to hit a match-high .500 as they rallied to take game three,
30-25.
Game four proved to be a battle, as neither squad would lead by
more than four points. After TU took a 20-16 lead, ORU responded
with a quick 5-0 run, to take a 21-20 advantage. The Golden Eagles
would extend the lead to 28-26, but the Golden Hurricane came back
to tie things up at 28-28.
After a Zuzic kill put ORU up 29-28, Jackie
Oliveira (Minas Gerais, Brazil) and JoJo
Souza (Sao Paulo, Brazil) combined to block TU's Kassiana
Urnau giving the Golden Eagles a 30-28 win and match victory.
Oliveira had 13 kills and 12 digs on the night, while Souza chipped
in with nine markers and five blocks. Kim Snow
(DeKald, Ill.) aided the ORU cause with 15 kills as she hit a
match-high .467.
Germana Hilario led TU with 12 kills and Dana Weddle added 11 kills
and four blocks.
The Golden Eagles will finish off their regular season schedule on
the road, as they head to Oakland and Valparaiso this weekend for a
pair of Mid-Con matches. With a victory over the Crusaders on
Saturday, ORU can claim its first league title since 2002.
-ORU-
