LAWTON, Okla.—Southern Nazarene went out of conference for a match with Cameron University on Tuesday and ran their winning streak to six games as they took care of the Aggies in four sets (25-20, 20-25, 28-26-28-26).
Extending the winning streak did not come easy for the Crimson Storm (12-9, 6-3 GAC). Cameron (5-18, 0-8 LSC) put up a tremendous fight, reaching 20 points in all four sets and pushing SNU to the brink in sets three and four.
Cameron had their chance to win the match as they held set point multiple times in the third and fourth sets, but Southern Nazarene continually fought off the Aggie attack and eventually took both of the final games to earn the victory.
Set one was back-and-forth until the Storm rattled off a 12-2 run midway through the game. During the streak, SNU was helped by four straight Cameron attack errors and a ball-handling error that gave the Storm a commanding 23-17 advantage. Despite a late three-point run from Cameron, SNU held on for the 25-20 win in the opening set.
The tides were turned in set two. Tied at 19, Cameron was the team in set two to put together a late run. They scored six of the final seven points in the game and tied the match at one set a piece with their own 25-20 set win.
Continuing the theme of a tight match, the teams traded the lead 10 times in the set and neither side built a lead greater than three points. Cameron appeared to have gained the upper hand in the game after a 5-0 run gave them a 22-19 lead, but SNU responded with their own 4-0 run to regain the lead at 23-22. The Aggies then held three straight set-points, but were unable to finish off the Storm, who responded each time their back was against the wall. Trailing 26-25, SNU finally put together a streak and scored three straight points to earn a hard-fought 28-26 win in set three.
The fourth set saw another seven lead changes throughout the set. SNU maintained a slight lead through the early stages of the set, but Cameron continued to battle and gave Southern Nazarene all they could handle. Trailing 25-24, SNU was again forced to fend off set-point. Once again with their backs against the wall, the Crimson Storm battled and finally came away with another 28-26 win to seal the match.
In a match like this, it took a full team effort to hold off a pesky Cameron squad. Multiple season highs were on display on Tuesday, including Sunny Batschelett, who secured a season-high 17 kills, including 6 in that match-sealing fourth game. She also came up big defensively with 6 digs and 5 blocks.
Shantalle Demirjian was not far behind with 14 kills of her own. Whitney Bowie added 10.
Maddy Booth also came up huge for SNU in that fourth game. She collected 4 of her 6 total kills in the fourth game, including back-to-back kills that tied the set at 22.
Kaley Brubaker continues to rack up double-doubles as she dished out 42 assists to go along with her 13 digs. She also added a season-high 5 kills in the effort.
Defensively, SNU put together a fantastic game. Bailey Grimes was sensational at the net, collecting a season-high 7 blocks.
Not only putting together a season-high, but also matching her career-high, Madeline Lynch dug out 25 balls.
Breckynn Myers helped out in a number of areas, too. She dug out 10 balls, collected 3 assists, and notched 3 service aces.
The Crimson Storm will return home on Thursday as GAC play resumes for a matchup with Arkansas Tech as SNU hopes to run their winning streak to seven games. It will not be easy for the Crimson Storm as they have lost five straight to the Golden Suns. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m. inside the Sawyer Center.
