BETHANY, Okla.—Southern Nazarene was looking to avoid their first ever three-game losing skid to Southwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday night but they were unable to escape defeat as momentum dramatically shifted in favor of the Bulldogs during the match. SWOSU would eventually take the match in four sets (26-28, 25-19, 25-22, 25-11).

The Sawyer Center was rocking early on in the match as it was all Southern Nazarene (11-13, 5-9 GAC). The Storm jumped all over the GAC's second place team Southwestern (18-6, 12-2 GAC) with a 13-4 advantage in the first set. Following a SWOSU timeout though, things would dramatically change. 

The Bulldogs would climb all the way back in that first set, eventually taking a 24-23 lead after an 8-0 run put them at set point. The Storm showed resilience, though, fending off set point and finally salvaging that first set as an Isabella Mitchell service ace would finally end it at 28-26.

Despite dropping that first set, Southwestern never wavered. The momentum they garnered after surging back in the first set would carry them through the remainder of the match. After hitting just .244 in the first frame, the Bulldogs would hit .324, .381, and .346 over the next three frames.

SWOSU never trailed in the second set and would go on to tie the match at 1 game a piece following a 25-19 set two win. SNU managed a late rally in the set after falling behind 23-14 but never truly threatened to come all the way back.

Set three was tight through-and-through. Neither team held a lead larger than three points and they eventually found themselves deadlocked at 21. Still, the momentum sat with Southwestern and they rattled off four of the next five points, leading to a 2-1 advantage on the scoreboard.

The final set was never competitive. The Storm never found a rhythm, hitting .-125 in the last frame. SWOSU jumped out to a 7-0 lead and cruised from there, eventually taking the set 25-11.

It was a career night for Grace Miracle. The senior shattered her previous career-high of 11 kills, surpassing that total early in the third set. Should would finish the match with 17 kills. She also collected 13 digs, giving Miracle her third double-double of the season.

Sunny Batschelett was the other Storm with double-digit kills, finishing with 12. It was her sixth straight match to record at least 12 kills.

The loss brings an end to SNU's four game winning streak, but the positive news for the Crimson Storm is that their Great American Conference tournament hopes remain the same as they were coming into the game. Southeastern Oklahoma State lost to Oklahoma Baptist, keeping the Storm in 7th place in the conference with just two games remaining. They sit half a game in front of Northwestern Oklahoma State, and a full game in front of Ouachita and Southeastern.

With an extremely tough matchup with nationally ranked Oklahoma Baptist on the horizon to close out the season, Tuesday's home match with East Central is crucial to SNU's hopes at earning a spot in the tournament. That match will also be Senior Night, honoring four senior student-athletes prior to the match. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. inside the Sawyer Center.