HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - HUNTSVILLE, Ala. Double-doubles from Trinity Freeman and Thaynara de Jesus weren't enough to outlast Southern Illinois. The Oral Roberts volleyball team concluded the Betty Austin Invitational with a loss against the Salukis on Sunday afternoon inside T.M. Elmore Gym in Huntsville, Alabama.
Following the match, senior Trinity Freeman and junior Natassia Baptiste were named to the Betty Austin Invitational All-Tournament team. Freeman registered two team-highs over three games, racking up 45 kills (.227%) and 32 digs. Natassia Baptiste recorded 19 kills and a .200 hitting percentage to go along with eight digs and four total blocks.
Freeman and Resta orchestrated the offensive attack as Freeman had a team-high 16 kills while Resta led the team with 24 assists. Freeman notched her second double-double of the year (7th of her career) and Resta led the team in assists throughout all three of this weekend's matches. Freeman also recorded the 1,000th kill of her career at ORU, a huge milestone for the Golden Eagles senior hitter.
Thaynara de Jesus and Anzley Rinard also made an impact on the offensive end, tallying 10 and nine kills, respectively. De Jesus led the team with a .273 hitting percentage in the match.
The Golden Eagles came out firing in the first set, going on a 7-2 run to open the match. After going back and forth for most of the set, SIU went on an 8-1 run to even the score at 22. A team effort pushed the set to 24 and two errors from the Salukis secured the point for ORU.
Alaina Larson and Anzley Rinard sparked a mid-set 8-2 run to seize momentum in the second set as they stretched their advantage from 10-8 to 18-10. After the two sides exchanged the next few points, ORU caught fire again as they tallied six of the final seven points to take set two, 25-16.
The Salukis caught fire from then on, dominating the next three sets. ORU fell 17-25, 12-25 and 9-15 in sets three, four and five, sealing the game for SIU.
Up Next
ORU hosts the ORU Volleyball Classic from Sep. 6-7 at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
For the latest information on ORU Athletics, follow @ORUAthletics on X or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics App in the Google Play or App Store.
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