The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 3 – Western Illinois 0
Records: ORU (1-4, 1-2 SL) – WIU (0-4, 0-3 SL)
Location: Western Hall (Macomb, Ill.)
Box Score
 
MACOMB, Ill. – Three players had double-digit kills as the Oral Roberts volleyball team dominated Western Illinois in straight sets (25-23, 25-20, 25-15) Sunday afternoon at Western Hall giving Head Coach Frank Craig III his first career victory leading the Golden Eagles.
 
ORU built a 3-1 lead to open the match taking advantage of a pair of Fighting Leathernecks errors before a Jaxie Wakley kill. WIU fought back with a 5-1 run to jump in front, 7-5, and later pushed that margin to 13-9. Still trailing by four, 16-12, the Golden Eagles settled in and scored the next four points to even the set, but had to rally late overcoming a 20-17 deficit. A Morgan Blomquist swing tied the score, 21-21, and Aixa Vigil pushed ORU in front by one. Wakley came through again late hitting her fifth kill of the stanza and Vigil followed with a service ace to finish the set, 25-23, taking three of the final four points.
 
The Golden Eagles never trailed in the second set despite eight tie scores and got off to a 5-2 start as Sylvia Lawson buried a kill and two attack errors by WIU followed. The home side pushed back to even the frame and the teams battled back and forth as the Fighting Leathernecks answered any run by ORU. It was the serving of the Golden Eagles that provided a spark late as Kaia Dunford had an ace for a 20-17 cushion and Sarah Thiessen connected on back-to-back aces forcing a WIU timeout as the visitors posted five of the last six points to close the set, 25-20.
 
Looking to put away the match, the Golden Eagles recorded a tremendous .565 hitting percentage in the third set putting away 13 kills on 23 swings without an error. After the Fighting Leathernecks took the first point and held a brief 2-1 lead, it was ORU that took over using three-straight points for a 6-3 edge. WIU closed the gap to 12-10, but the Golden Eagles would not be denied as Vigil put away a kill and the margin stretched to five as the defense forced two more attack errors. ORU again was at its best in the final points and secured the road victory, 25-15, registering six of the final seven points.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Wakley was dominant on offense leading the charge with 12 kills on 19 swings for a .632 hitting percentage. The freshman added a team-best three block assists and four digs.
• Vigil came on strong in the final frame going off for five kills on seven swings to finish with 11 kills on a .308 hitting percentage and had eight digs.
• Dunford got off to a hot start with four kills in both the first and second sets totaling 10.
• Thiessen was strong defensively again for the Golden Eagles tallying a team-leading 14 digs, while her four service aces led all players. ORU held a 9-6 edge in service aces on the day.
• Lawson (18) and Bryanne Soares (14) provided a bulk of the set assists during an efficient afternoon helping the Golden Eagles offense to a .314 hitting percentage in the match.

 
Up Next
ORU plays the final match of the season series against the Fighting Leathernecks Monday afternoon with first serve slated for 2 p.m.
 
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