TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts University volleyball team found themselves down 11-9 late in a decisive game five Saturday afternoon, but the Golden Eagles rallied with a 6-1 run for a 15-12 win over Valparaiso in the Mid-Continent Conference title match to earn the ninth NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.

ORU (26-8) now owns seven Mid-Continent Conference Tournament titles, the most by any school in the league's 25-year history. Saturday also marked the Golden Eagles 10th straight appearance in the Mid-Con's title match, while the victory game them their first tourney crown since 2002.

Valpo (21-12), the three-time defending league champion, jumped ahead to a quick 4-0 advantage in game five before ORU began to chip away at the lead and pull things even at 9-9. A pair of Angie Proche kills put the Crusaders back on top at 11-9, setting the table for the Golden Eagles' late heroics.

The rally started with kills from Jackie Oliveira (Minas Gerais, Brazil) and Danijela Novakovic (Rijeka, Croatia), sandwiched around a Valpo error, giving ORU their first lead at 12-11. The Crusaders responded with a time out to kill momentum, but the Golden Eagle train would not be stopped.

After ORU forced a Porche error, Kim Snow (DeKalb, Ill.) hammered home a kill for a 14-11, game point advantage. Valpo fought off game point the first time, but Snow's 11th kill of the match sealed the deal for the Golden Eagles, 15-12.

Tournament MVP Ori Zuzic (Porec, Croatia) led the Golden Eagles with 24 kills, 10 digs, and four aces; registering her 20th double-double performance this season.

Joing Zuzic on the all-tournament team were Novakovic and Thais Parada (Sao Paulo, Brazil) as Novakovic finished the day with 13 kills and three blocks while Parada added 8 kills, 14 digs, and 62 assists – just missing out on a triple-double.

The Golden Eagles led wire-to-wire in game one, scoring the game's first three points and never looking back en route to a 30-23 win. ORU hit .351 as a team in game one while limiting the Crusaders to a .190 mark.

Valparaiso fought right back, however, outlasting the Golden Eagles in games two and three (31-29, 32-30) to take the driver's seat in their quest for a fourth straight conference crown.

ORU took the early lead in game number four, using a 5-0 spurt to hold an 8-3 advantage. The home side maintained a healthy lead from there, never letting Valpo within three points - while leading by as many as eight – to pull even at two games a piece with a 30-22 win.

The Golden Eagles hit an astounding .457 in game four, totaling 17 kills and just one error in 35 attempts.

Cris Alves (Sao Caetano, Brazil) led four Golden Eagles in double-figure digs with 21 picks, and Snow added 10 blocks to go along with her 11 kills. Oliveira chipped in with 14 kills and four blocks while hitting .391.

Valpo's Nicole Schulz led all players with 30 kills, while Proche finished the match with 27 kills with a .290 attack percentage. Schulz and Proche were each named to the all-tournament team along with Western Illinois' Jennifer Alexander and IUPUI's Devika Bellamy.

ORU finished the season with a perfect 14-0 mark at the Aerobics Center, the first undefeated home season since going 9-0 in 2002. The 14 home victories also tied a 27 year old school record.

The Golden Eagles will have to wait until next Sunday, Nov. 26, to find out their opponent and destination for the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The selection show will be televised nationwide on ESPNEWS at 2:00 p.m. CT.

-ORU