The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 1 – Tulsa 3
Records: ORU (6-3) – TU (3-3)
Box Score
Location: Reynolds Center (Tulsa, Okla.)
 
TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts volleyball battled all afternoon, but could not take down host Tulsa falling in four sets (22-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-27) Saturday to close the Tulsa Invitational.
 
After starting to a 3-3 tie, the Golden Hurricane scored five-straight points for an 8-3 advantage until Jeslyn Spencer buried an over-pass following a Jaxie Wakley kill closing the gap to 11-8. Kills from Bryanne Soares and Aixa Vigil made it a 12-10 score line. The next three points went to TU and the home side built a five-point cushion, but ORU fought off four set points before falling, 25-22.
 
It was back and forth in the second stanza until a burst by the Golden Eagles pushed to a 10-6 lead getting a block from Soares and Wakley and three-consecutive kills from Spencer and Vigil. Sakira LaCour extended the run out of a TU timeout and Vigil hit the floor on three swings during a 3-1 stretch for a 14-8 advantage and ORU never slowed cruising to the set win, 25-18.
 
A 4-1 run by the Golden Hurricane gave the host an 8-4 edge in set three and swelled to 18-8. The visitors responded using an 8-2 run to keep the set alive and maintained the momentum on consecutive kills by Soares and Spencer closing the deficit to 21-18. ORU was unable to fight all the way back dropping the frame, 25-22.
 
The fourth set was another early clash, but three blocks by TU helped take a 9-5 advantage. The Golden Eagles got a block of their own as Spencer and LaCour combined at the net cutting the margin to 11-8 and continued the 6-1 run to tie the score, 12-12, as Kaia Dunford buried a swing. Four-straight points for the home team broke a 14-14 deadlock only to see ORU climb back on a Spencer service ace and a Dunford and LaCour block for a 21-20 lead. TU erased the deficit and built a 24-22 advantage, but the scrappy Golden Eagles turned away both match points against. After fighting off one more match point, ORU failed to stop the opposition on the fourth attempt losing 27-25.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Seven different players recorded at least seven kills in the contest as four reached double digits.
• Libero Sarah Thiessen was at her best and registered a season-high 29 digs, reaching 20 or more for the fifth time this season. The redshirt senior tallied eight in the third and fourth sets and completed her first collegiate double-double behind a career-high 10 assists.
• Soares posted her third double-double in her last four outings finishing with 48 set assists and 17 digs. She nearly completed a triple-double ending on a career-best eight kills and was named to the All-Tournament Team for her efforts over the weekend.
• Spencer put together a 12-kill, 10-dig double-double, her second of 2021, to lead the team in kills with Wakley right behind totaling 11.
• In her first start of the year, Vigil hit 10 kills, while LaCour matched her at 10. LaCour also paced the squad adding four block assists.
• The Golden Eagles held a wide margin in kills (66-46) and digs (90-80) and out-hit TU by a .220 to .175 margin.

 
Up Next
ORU is off for two weeks when it opens The Summit League portion of the schedule Sept. 23 at North Dakota, but will host an alumni match at the Aerobics Center Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.
 
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.
 
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