Box Score
OKLAHOMA CITY — This might just be getting a bit ridiculous, but one question has for sure been answered. Has Southern Nazarene been tested? For the second straight match and the sixth time this year, the Crimson Storm have ventured into five sets.
SNU is now 11-7 overall and 2-1 in the Sooner Athletic Conference and now five 5-1 in five set matches after a 3-2 (22-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-17, 15-13) win over Mid-America Christian. The Crimson Storm have trailed in four of those matches and were down 2-0 in three.
Southern Nazarene has started to build steam, winning four of its last five and has won three straight since losing its SAC opener to Oklahoma City. Granted it hasn't come easy for the Crimson Storm and tonight was no different.
SNU trailed 2-0 after the first two sets, but new life sprung in the third set.
Leading 5-4 in the third, a Morgan Loewen kill and a Taryn Steele ace sparked a 10-2 run as SNU climbed out to a 15-6 lead. SNU took its biggest lead of the set at 20-9 on a Kira Roberts kill before MACU cut it 21-14 and got as close as 24-21, but a service error gave the set to SNU.
In the fourth, two Ellen Martin service aces broke a 9-9 tie and fueled a 12-3 run to put SNU up 21-13. Loewen had three kills in that run. The closest the Crusaders came was 24-17 before Roberts put it away with a kill to force a fifth set.
MACU used a 4-1 run late in the fifth to take an 11-7 lead after SNU had already used both timeouts.
That's when the Crimson Storm took control.
SNU scored four straight points to tie it at 11. Three of those came on three straight Martin aces after a Roberts kill. MACU stopped the run on an SNU error, but Steele tied it with a kill and the Crimson Storm retook the lead at 13-12 on a Crusader error. Loewen then gave SNU set point with a kill and then closed the match with another kill.
Loewen led the way with 14 kills and hit .243. She also added seven digs. Ellen Martin served five aces for the second straight match and nearly had a double-double with 12 kills and nine digs. Danielle Hampton added 12 kills to go with her pair of aces while Kira Roberts had 11 kills. Taryn Steele notched double-double number 10 with 39 assists and 14 digs. She also added seven kills and five blocks.
Sarah Groesbeck posted 15 digs and KateLyn Biddy added 12. Angela Evans also added five blocks.
SNU as a team hit .232 (58-20-164) and posted eight team blocks. The Crimson Storm served 14 aces for the second straight match as well.
The Crimson Storm return home, Saturday for an 11 a.m. match against Tabor (Kan.).
