SHAWNEE, Okla.—In an instant GAC Championship Tournament classic, Southern Nazarene fell to Southwestern Oklahoma State. After falling behind two sets to one, the Bulldogs bounced back and took the match in five sets (14-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-18, 15-13).
Southern Nazarene (16-14, 9-7 GAC) came in as the underdogs in the 3 vs. 6 matchup of the GAC tournament, but they immediately put the pressure on the Bulldogs (17-11, 12-4 GAC). The Storm completely dominated the first set and seemed to dig out any SWOSU attempt to put the ball down. As a result, Southwestern was held to a negative hitting percentage in the first set, while SNU hit .313. This led to a 25-14 game one win for the Storm.
The second set did not go quite as well for Southern Nazarene. They were limited to just 8 kills on a .005 hitting clip. Despite the offensive struggles in the second game, SNU was right in the thick of things with a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead. This was not meant to be, though, as Southwestern rattled off a 7-1 run that turned a 17-17 tie into a 24-18 Bulldog advantage. SNU had one last spurt to pull back within two points, but an SNU service error finally ended the game and tied the match.
It was all Southwestern early in game three, but that quickly changed. The Storm turned a 7-1 deficit into an 11-11 tie. Things then went back-and-forth until Southern Nazarene rattled off a 7-2 run to win the game 25-20. All-GAC First Team selection Sunny Batschelett was on a mission in that set as she racked up an incredible 7 kills in the third set to lead SNU. As a team, SNU nearly matched their set one hitting percentage by swinging at a .311 clip in game three.
With their backs against the wall, Southwestern rallied in the fourth set and cruised to a 25-18 win that forced the decisive fifth set. The Bulldogs overcame a 10-7 deficit by scoring 14 of the next 18 points to build a commanding 21-14 lead.
As tight as the match had been all morning, it was no surprise that the final set was decided by the minimum two points. The teams traded blows early on, but SWOSU was able to gradually build a three point lead, which seemed much bigger in the shortened fifth set. They led 10-7, 12-9, and 13-10 late in the set as the Storm struggled to climb all the way back. The Bulldogs finally reached match point at 14-12, but SNU fended it off once more with a Whitney Bowie kill. Needing just one point to extend the fifth set, the Storm were unable to capture that point as a Southwestern kill finally ended the match with a 15-13 score in the final game.
Sunny Batschelett proved her All-GAC First Team selection in the match. She totaled a match-high 19 kills.
Whitney Bowie and Tessa Henry also reached double-digit kills with 14 and 13, respectively.
Defensively, SNU was forced to fend off 203 attacks from SWOSU. This led to a number of high dig totals for the Storm. Madeline Lynch led the way with 28 and she was followed closely behind Kaley Brubaker's season-high 22 digs. Brubaker also added 51 assists for her 16th double-double of the season.
Tatum Smith, Katelyn Branson, and Breckynn Myers also totaled double-digit digs with 13, 12, and 11, respectively.
A very tough loss brings an end to a fantastic season from the Crimson Storm that included the program's longest winning streak since the 2016 season. An experienced squad, along with some very promising young recruits, will look to build upon this season and make more noise within the Great American Conference next season.
