The Basics
Score: Purdue Fort Wayne 3 – Oral Roberts 0
Records: PFW (16-12, 10-4 SL) – ORU (7-21, 3-11 SL)
Location: Aerobics Center (Tulsa, Okla.)

TULSA, Okla. – In a match decided by just six total points, the Oral Roberts volleyball team was unable to take down Purdue Fort Wayne falling in three sets (23-25, 23-25, 25-27) Sunday afternoon at the Aerobics Center in its final home match of 2019.

Trailing by four early in the opening set, the Golden Eagles reeled off five-straight points behind Inka Inkret's strong serving to take a 7-6 advantage. The Mastodons used a 4-0 stretch to break a 13-13 tie and led by four late in the frame. Kills by Sakira LaCour and CeCe Madison were followed by a huge block from LaCour and Sylvia Lawson closing the gap to one, 22-21, but Purdue Fort Wayne was able to finish off the set win, 25-23.

The visitors struck for a quick, 6-0 margin starting the second stanza before ORU recovered and moved in front, 10-9, on a Katarina Mikulic service ace. The Mastodons capitalized on a 3-0 spurt for a 23-20 advantage and held on for a two-set lead.

Both teams went back-and-forth in the final frame that featured 14 ties and five lead changes, until the visitors scored three-consecutive points for a 9-6 edge. Mikulic swept away an over pass to even the set, 12-12, before a Lawson and Bri Greenlee block capped a 3-0 run for the Golden Eagles and a 19-17 margin. It was the Mastodons that made a final push to the finish posting a 5-1 run and sealed the victory, 27-25, on back-to-back points.

Inside the Box Score

• Four different players reached double figures in digs led by 12 from libero Sarah Thiessen. Inkret and Mikulic added 11 digs, while Lawson finished with 10 as the Golden Eagles held a 55-43 edge in total digs over the Mastodons.
• Lawson capped another double-double effort as the redshirt freshman posted 31 set assists.
• Madison put away a team-leading 12 kills, including eight in the second set alone, and the senior was one dig shy of a double-double ending the afternoon at nine.
• Inkret had seven kills and Mikulic added six aiding the offense.
• LaCour was a spark off the bench tallying four kills on five swings and led ORU with three total blocks, including one solo and two assists.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles hit the road next weekend for the final two matches of the 2019 regular season in need of wins at North Dakota (Nov. 15) and North Dakota State (Nov. 17) to potentially reach the postseason.

For the latest information on ORU Volleyball, follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com.  Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading two mobile apps, ORU Golden Eagles Live and ORU Front Row, available on the App Store and Google Play.

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