The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 2 – South Dakota State 3
Records: ORU (14-6, 8-3 SL) – SDSU (13-9, 5-6 SL)
Box Score
Location: Frost Arena (Brookings, S.D.)
 
BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Oral Roberts volleyball team got double-digit kills from four different players in a five-set loss at South Dakota State (19-25, 25-8, 25-21, 29-31, 14-16) Thursday night from Frost Arena ending a four-match win streak.
 
Kills from Jaxie Wakley and Aixa Vigil along with a block by the pair helped the Golden Eagles erase an early 6-3 deficit and take a 9-8 edge over the Jackrabbits in the opening frame. It was a back and forth battle through the middle stages until ORU got consecutive kills by Wakley and Vigil again, but SDSU responded by scoring the next four points for an 18-16 lead and forced ORU into a timeout. The visitors fought back to even the score only to see the Jacks break a 19-19 tie and close the set, 25-19, with the next six points.
 
ORU responded in a big way during a dominant second set where it hit at a .536 clip and held SDSU to a negative hitting percentage thanks to four blocks by Sakira LaCour. It was freshman Trinity Freeman that found the floor for the first two points of the second set and added two more kills along with a pair by Wakley to build a 7-3 cushion for ORU. Wakley added two more kills pushing the Golden Eagles to a 10-5 lead and a SDSU timeout. The sophomore's scoring continued as she hammered in another swing and Vigil followed by powering down an over-pass as the margin swelled to 14-6. It was all ORU for the remainder of the frame as it ended the set by scoring 11 of the final 12 points, including the last seven, for a 25-8 win.
 
The duo of Freeman and LaCour combined for all four Golden Eagles kills jumping to a 4-1 lead in the third set and two kills by Vigil made it a 10-5 margin. The Jacks used a 5-1 burst to come back and even the score, 16-16, until Wakley's 10th kill of the night pushed ORU back in front. A reversed call on a Golden Eagles challenge during the next point turned a potential tie into a two-point advantage and the visitors capitalized as Vigil and Jeslyn Spencer each dropped in a kill for a 22-18 lead and ORU claimed the set, 25-21.
 
The Golden Eagles started the fourth set on a 4-2 run getting kills by LaCour and Wakley as the middles remained unstoppable, but SDSU was able to tally four of the next five points for a 6-5 edge. Wakley buried another swing to pull ORU even and then it was all LaCour as the junior had four kills and a solo block during a 5-1 burst. After SDSU pulled within two, consecutive points by Wakley and Spencer stretched the lead back to four, 16-12, only to see the home side post four-straight points to tie the frame. ORU turned to LaCour again out of its timeout and got a quick kill before the Jacks took control on a 3-0 run. The Golden Eagles were not deterred as Spencer delivered back-to-back kills capping a 4-0 stretch setting up match point, 24-22, until SDSU broke back and closed the set on its fifth set point, 31-29.
 
In the decisive fifth set, Wakley put away a kill as the visitors built a 4-1 advantage and needed a 3-0 burst for a 7-4 lead as Bryanne Soares and Wakley combined for a critical block. After SDSU called timeout, six of the next eight points went the way of the Jacks for a 10-9 edge until a LaCour and Vigil block evened the action. LaCour added consecutive kills for a 12-10 lead and the Golden Eagles had a chance on their third match point of the night, but the Jacks answered with the final three points to steal the victory, 16-14.
 
Inside the Box Score

• All four of Summit League-leading LaCour's blocks in the second set came in the final 11 points and the junior finished with a career-high 11 on two solo and nine assists. She became the first ORU player to register double-digit blocks since Bri Greenlee had 11 against Western Illinois Oct. 7, 2018. She also posted a career-best 16 kills for the first double-double of her tenure putting away seven in the fourth frame.
• Wakley had five kills in both the second and fourth set on her way to a season-high 18, one off her career best, reaching double-digit kills for the sixth time this season. She also led the team behind a .433 hitting percentage as one of four players to hit above .310 overall.
• Freeman put away six kills on just seven swings in the second stanza to end with 18 kills and Spencer matched her career best adding 14.
• By the end of the fourth set, Soares had already recorded a career best in set assists as her 62 is the second most in The Summit League this season. The sophomore chipped in 10 digs to complete the double-double.
• Sarah Thiessen paced ORU on the defensive side totaling a match-high 15 digs, while Breanna Rivas reached double digits for the first time in her collegiate career adding 11.
• ORU out-hit SDSU by a .308 to .160 margin, but it was the serving line that proved the difference as ORU had nine errors and one ace and SDSU had six errors and 10 aces.

 
Up Next
The Golden Eagles close the trip to South Dakota facing the Coyotes at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
 
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