MAGNOLIA, Ark.—Southern Nazarene finished off a perfect weekend in Arkansas, earning their second sweep in as many days as they knocked off Southern Arkansas in straight sets (25-13, 25-17, 29-27). The sweep marked their third consecutive sweep and fifth straight win overall.
The Crimson Storm (11-9, 6-3 GAC) continued their hot streak by putting together their most efficient offensive performance so far in Great American Conference play. As a team, SNU hit .316 while holding Southern Arkansas (3-16, 2-7 GAC) to just a .123 hitting percentage. The Crimson Storm also controlled the battle at the net with 7 blocks to SAU's 3.
Southern Nazarene cruised through the first couple of sets but were pushed to the brink in the third game. The Crimson Storm jumped all over the Muleriders at the beginning of the match as they scored the first nine points. Southern Arkansas never recovered as SNU easily took set one 25-13.
Once again, SNU never trailed in game two. They led 3-0 and eventually built that lead as high as nine points before settling for a 25-17 win in set two.
The third set felt like an entirely different match as Southern Arkansas proved incredibly difficult to put away. The teams traded leads throughout the game and eventually found themselves tied at 23. The Muleriders had multiple opportunities to force a fourth set as they led 24-23, 26-25, and 27-26, but each time the Crimson Storm fought off each set point and eventually went on to take the final game 29-27. The finished the match off with three straight kills including two from Tessa Henry and one final blow from Bailey Grimes.
After no Storm players reached double-digit kills last night, three did so on Friday. Sunny Batschelett led the way with 14 kills. She also added 4 blocks to the mix. Whitney Bowie followed with 11 kills, while Tessa Henry notched 10.
Kaley Brubaker, the reigning Great American Conference Setter of the Week, matched her highest three-set assist total this season with 41. She also picked up her third double-double in her last four matches with 10 digs.
With the win, SNU ran their winning streak to five games, the longest SNU streak since they won eight in a row en route to winning the Great American Conference tournament in 2016. The Storm will hope to inch closer to that number next time out as they prepare for a non-conference road matchup with Cameron on Tuesday, October 11. Southern Nazarene has won three straight over the Aggies, including a four-set win in Bethany last season. First serve is set for 5:30 p.m. in Lawton.
