Box Score The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 1 – South Dakota 3
Records: ORU (14-7, 8-4 SL) – USD (13-8, 10-2 SL)
Box Score
Location: Sanford Coyote Sports Center (Vermillion, S.D.)
 
VERMILLION, S.D. – The Oral Roberts volleyball team could not recover from an early deficit at South Dakota falling in four sets (20-25, 22-25, 25-19, 12-25) inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center Saturday afternoon.
 
The Coyotes started on an 8-3 run to begin the match until the Golden Eagles found a rhythm and pulled within two, 9-7, as Jaxie Wakley put away a kill and Kaia Dunford served up an ace on a 4-1 burst. Seven of the next eight points went to USD for a 16-8 advantage, but ORU did not stop fighting and connected for four-straight points to cut into the deficit. Sakira LaCour and Dunford added kills and Bryanne Soares had a service ace that forced a timeout by the home side. USD was able to recover and closed out the opening set, 25-20.
 
Aixa Vigil had a kill and two aces, while Trinity Freeman and Dunford added cross-court kills helping ORU jump in front of the second stanza, 5-1. The Coyotes turned the momentum in their favor tallying a 10-2 run to move ahead as the Golden Eagles called a timeout. Three-consecutive kills by Vigil helped ORU close the gap to 13-11 , but USD posted a 3-1 stretch and held on to an 18-14 cushion. After LaCour found the floor, Wakley delivered a solo block and Dunford followed with back-to-back kills and the Golden Eagles evened the score, 18-18. It was the home side that broke the tie scoring the next four points and the Coyotes claimed the frame, 25-22.
 
Behind three kills from Vigil and a LaCour solo block, the Golden Eagles quickly scored the first five points of the third set and USD called an early timeout. After the Coyotes had a 3-0 burst, ORU responded with a 3-0 run of its own to push the lead back to five and Vigil and Dunford added kills for a 10-4 edge. The Golden Eagles continued to press and forced three attack errors, including one on a Freeman and LaCour block, during a 4-0 stretch as their advantage swelled to 17-11. A kill from LaCour followed by a solo block off the out-stretched arms of Wakley gave ORU a 21-15 lead and the visitors picked up a 25-19 set win as Wakley and Vigil contributed kills.
 
Freeman put away a kill to tie the fourth set, 3-3, only to see USD record the next four points until a Wakley kill stopped the run. The Golden Eagles used a Coyote service error and attack error to close the gap to 11-8 before the home team rattled off an 8-1 run to take control of the set, 19-9. ORU could not hold off USD down the stretch falling 25-12 in the fourth.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Dunford, Vigil and Wakley all posted 11-kill performances to pace the offense, while Freeman aided with eight kills.
• Dunford came on strong for the Golden Eagles as the sophomore posted an 11-kill, 13-dig double-double.
• Vigil and Wakley paced the offense hitting .400 overall. It was the second-straight outing that Wakley tallied double-digit kills.
• Soares posted 38 set assists and had eight digs, while Sarah Thiessen reached double-digit digs with 11.

 
Up Next
ORU returns to campus for its next five matches beginning Monday night with a clash against the Pioneers of Denver at 7 p.m. live on the ORU Sports Network.
 
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