The Basics
Oral Roberts (10-3, 4-0 SL) at Omaha (6-7, 3-0 SL)
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 5, 2021 / 7 p.m.
Location: Baxter Arena / Omaha, Neb.
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TULSA, Okla. – It will be a battle of the final unbeaten teams in The Summit League when Oral Roberts volleyball heads to Omaha for a matchup at Baxter Arena Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

The Golden Eagles are a perfect 4-0 in conference play after picking up wins over South Dakota and South Dakota State in their first home matches of the 2021 season, while the Mavericks are 3-0 following an upset of Denver.

OPENING SERVE
•ORU won at least five matches to begin a campaign for the fifth time in program history and the first since 1996 claiming victories in six straight and now are 4-0 in league action for the first time since 2017. It also tallied sweeps against both North Dakota and North Dakota State away from home for the first time in program history.
 
•The Golden Eagles' balance on offense has been a staple in 2021 as four players have at least 100 kills and five are averaging more than two kills per set. Trinity Freeman has the team lead putting away 126 kills, while Sakira LaCour (119), Kaia Dunford (116) and Jaxie Wakley (100) all have hit the century mark in total kills. The team has combined to register a hitting percentage of .251 that is second in the league and 44th in the country.
 
•LaCour has dominated at the net all year as the junior leads The Summit League and is 56th nationally averaging 1.2 blocks per set, while Wakley and Freeman have aided the blocking effort totaling 42 and 38 blocks, respectively.
 
•Bryanne Soares leads the team with 427 set assists at 9.1 per set posting 40 or more in both matches last week. The sophomore also has tallied five double-doubles in her last six outings and registered six on the year. ORU is currently second in the conference in assists per set at 12.3, which ranks 54th in the nation.
 
•Libero Sarah Thiessen was named The Summit League Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in her career Aug. 31. She became the 12th player in program history to reach 1,000 digs in a career against UT Martin Sept. 3. The redshirt senior currently ranks fourth in the league averaging 4.4 digs per set reaching double digits in all but one match this year, including a season-high 29 at Tulsa Sept. 11.
 
•Omaha shut down defending regular season champion Denver in four sets to remain undefeated in league play Saturday. Setter Sami Clarkson is averaging 10.6 assists per set that puts her 26th in the country, while Claire Mountjoy posts 4.8 digs per set as both players top The Summit League in their respective category. Sadie Limback leads the charge for the Mavericks offensively tallying 3.8 kills per set.
 
•ORU was picked to finish sixth in The Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll for the 2021 season in the 10-team league.
 
•The Golden Eagles returned all seven starters and 10 letterwinners from its 2020 squad accounting for 96 percent of kills and 100 percent of their assists and service aces. On the defensive side, ORU welcomed back 99 percent of its total digs and blocks from a year ago.
 
•Head Coach Frank Craig III is back for his second season and welcomed three freshman to the program. Trinity Freeman (Phoenix, Arizona), Breanna Rivas (Albuquerque New Mexico) and Saje Washington (Dublin, Ohio) began their collegiate careers at ORU this fall.
 
•The top six regular-season finishers qualify for The Summit League Volleyball Championship slated for Nov. 25-27 inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, S.D.
 
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 the ORU Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play Store.