Box Score

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — October is known for weird thing to happen, especially this late in the month and Thursday night was no different as Southern Nazarene survived a five-set win over Mid-America Christian, 3-2 (26-28, 25-19, 25-16, 25-27, 15-7).
 
The Crimson Storm (26-5, 10-2) definitely got a scare from the Lady Evangels and it got even more real when MACU scored the final three points of the fourth set to tie it at two sets a piece.
 
It wasn't until the Lady Evangels took a 5-4 lead in the fifth that SNU finally answered the bell. Kira Roberts ripped the last of her match-high 15 kills and sparked an 11-2 run to close out the match. Natalia Oliveira had three of her 14 kills in that run as SNU pulled out the win.
 
Roberts had the most kills in a conference match this year and also hit at a .542 (15-2-24) clip which was also a conference high for the sophomore. She also added six blocks. Oliveira had five blocks and seven digs. Jamie Hope and Ellen Martin both ripped double figure kills as well with Hope having 11 and Martin posting 10. Hope had five blocks while Martin had two blocks and seven digs.
 
Kaylee Piatt dished out 45 assists and had 14 digs and two blocks. She also served a trio of aces. KateLyn Biddy nearly had her first double-double with 30 digs and eight assists. Emily Troup also had 18 digs.
 
The Storm posted 13 blocks, the second most this season. SNU out blocked, out hit and out dug MACU, but the Lady Evangels just kept coming until running out of gas in the fifth.
 
MACU took the first lead of the match after blowing a 16-11 lead. SNU took match point in the first on a service error and the two traded three more ties before two straight errors by the Storm broke a 26-26 tie to give MACU a 1-0 lead. SNU trailed 7-4 early in the second, but used a 16-7 run to lead 20-14 and cruised from there to tie the match at 1-1.
 
The Storm broke open the third with an 8-4 run to lead 19-11 and held on to take a 2-1 lead, but MACU came right back at SNU. The Storm led 23-22 late in the fourth when Cortney Sheid broke the sixth tie of the set, but the Lady Evangels answered with two straight to take set point at 24-23. A Piatt kill tied it at 24 and a MACU error gave match point to the Storm, but MACU closed out the set with three straight points including the final two being an ace and a kill to force the fifth and final set.
 
SNU will now focus on its final non-conference road match of the season when it travels to Southwestern Assemblies of God, Saturday, for a 5 p.m. contest.