The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 2 – South Dakota 3
Records: ORU (2-9, 2-7 SL) – USD (9-4, 8-1 SL)
Location: Sanford Coyote Sports Center (Vermillion, S.D.)
Box Score
 
VERMILLION, S.D. – The Oral Roberts volleyball team pushed South Dakota to a critical fifth set before falling (29-27, 22-25, 25-22, 20-25, 6-15) Saturday afternoon from the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. It was the fifth time in their last six matches the Golden Eagles have needed five sets to decide the outcome.
 
The visitors raced out to a 12-6 lead in the opening set as Sakira LaCour posted a solo block after combining with Jeslyn Spencer for a block. The next seven points went to the Coyotes before the teams battled back-and-forth totaling 16 tie scores. ORU fought off two set points and scored four of the last five points on kills from Jaxie Wakley and Kaia Dunford until Aixa Vigil put away a swing for a 29-27 win.
 
USD built an 8-4 edge in set two and the Golden Eagles made a push to jump in front, 12-11, forcing three-straight attack errors. After a Wakley kill gave ORU a three-point cushion, the home side tallied a 9-3 run and finished off the set 25-22.
 
The Golden Eagles quickly turned the momentum in the third set taking a 10-4 advantage and forced USD into a timeout holding a 16-5 lead. The Coyotes chipped away and evened the score, 17-17, but the lead went right back to ORU as Wakley and Vigil went back-to-back helping the team push to a 25-22 set win and a 2-1 advantage in the match.
 
ORU erased an early three-point deficit in the fourth set for a 10-9 lead on a Dunford kill and stretched that to 19-15 on consecutive swings by Vigil. It was all USD from there as it scored the next seven points and closed the set, 25-20. The Coyotes carried that drive into the fifth scoring five of the first six points and put away the match, 15-6.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Vigil tallied her second match with 20 or more kills this season leading ORU with 21 kills and added 19 digs for another double-double effort.
• Thiessen finished with a team-best 21 digs and three service aces and aided with eight set assists.
• Wakley led ORU with a .297 hitting percentage registering 16 kills as the freshman reached double-digit kills for the seventh time.
• Dunford recorded her fourth double-double of the season totaling 12 kills and 14 digs.
• Soares posted a 27-assist, 11-dig double-double, while Sylvia Lawson gave the team 16 assists and four kills.
• ORU improved its serving performance and kept the Coyotes offense out of system serving up 10 aces to just four errors, a season low.

 
Up Next
The Golden Eagles close their league series at South Dakota Sunday afternoon with first serve scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
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