Women's Volleyball 10/5/2007 12:00:00 AM

Golden Eagles Fall Short in 2-3 Loss to Western Illinois

MACOMB, Ill. - Despite four players with double-digit kills, the ORU volleyball team (9-8, 4-1 Summit League) could not overcome Western Illinois, falling to the Westerwinds (6-10, 3-2 Summit League) in five games by scores of 30-22, 24-30, 30-17, 25-30, 13-15.

Three of those four players finishing the night with double-digit kills also finished the night with double-doubles. Junior Jackie Oliviera posted her 11th double-double of the season, finishing the night with a team-high 23 kills and 16 digs, while junior-transfer Janete Ferreira registered 17 kills and a career-high 24 digs for ORU.

Junior Danijela Novakovic recorded her first double-double of the season as well as a new career-high in digs after posting 15 kills and 12 digs in the loss. Junior setter Thais Parada also had a nice night for the Golden Eagles, tallying a season-high 51 assists as well as dishing out 12 digs, her second double-double of the season.

ORU came out a little sluggish in game one, finding themselves down 2-7 before fighting back to tie the game at 8-8 with a Jackie Oliveira service ace. Both teams would trade points until two errors by Western Illinois and a service ace by Janete Ferreira would give ORU the lead at 15-14, which they would hold on to the remainder of the game to win 30-22.

The Golden Eagles would begin game two by taking a 2-0 lead with the help of back-to-back WIU errors, but the Westerwinds would come right back with a block by Michelle Donnelly and Monique Houston and a ball-handling error by Thais Parada. The teams would go back-and-forth until the 17-19 mark when Western Illinois would run away with the game due to four ORU attack errors and six WIU kills, winning 30-24.

ORU would fight right back in game three, never allowing the Westerwinds to get into a rhythm and leading by as many as 12 at one point. WIU would commit four attack errors towards the end of the match, two of those were Jocelyn Swier/Danijela Novakovic and Swier/Oliviera blocks. ORU would take game three, 30-17.

Game four would find ORU off to a quick 4-0 start, but Western Illinois would battle right back and tie the game at 16-16 and end up forcing a game five after outscoring ORU 14-9 to take game four, 30-25.

ORU could never get over the hump in game five, allowing Western Illinois to take a 4-1 lead quickly with two attack errors and an Ashley Baker kill. The Golden Eagles would tie the game at 12-12 with a Jackie Oliveira kill, but a service error by Carol Garbato would give WIU the one-point lead which would follow by two points by an Erin Frick block and kill to give Western Illinois their third conference win and ORU's first conference loss.

Next up for the Golden Eagles is a 7 p.m. conference match in Kansas City, Mo., with UMKC on Saturday evening.

-ORU-

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Players Mentioned

#9 Janete Ferreira: OH; 6' 0"; Junior

#5 Danijela Novakovic: OH; 6' 3"; Junior; Ekonomska Skola

#12 Jackie Oliveira: RS; 6' 3"; Junior; UNORP

Players Mentioned

#9 Janete Ferreira
: 6' 0"; Junior
: OH

#5 Danijela Novakovic
: 6' 3"; Junior; Ekonomska Skola
: OH

#12 Jackie Oliveira
: 6' 3"; Junior; UNORP
: RS

Players Mentioned

#9 Janete Ferreira

#5 Danijela Novakovic

#12 Jackie Oliveira

Players Mentioned

#9 Janete Ferreira

#5 Danijela Novakovic

#12 Jackie Oliveira