The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 2 – North Dakota 3
Records: ORU (7-16, 4-7) – North Dakota (11-11, 8-3)
Location: Cooper Aerobics Center (Tulsa, Okla.)
 
TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts volleyball dropped their second straight match Thursday evening as they fell in five sets (25-22, 25-23, 21-25, 22-25, 9-15) to North Dakota inside the Cooper Aerobics Center.

For a fifth straight contest, Kaia Dunford paced the offensive attack as the junior tallied a match-best 18 kills to go along with 17 digs for her 10th double-double of the year. Trinity Freeman followed Dunford with 17 kills, while Sakira LaCour contributed with 13.

Setter Kalena Vaivai dished out 55 assists and registered 18 digs, both career-highs, for her eighth double-double of the season. 

At the libero position, Breanna Rivas matched Vaivai for the team lead in digs with 18.

Leading 7-6 in the opening set, the Golden Eagles used a 4-0 run that was capped off by a Natassia Baptiste and Freeman block to extend their advantage to 11-6. Out of a timeout, the Fighting Hawks rattled off four straight points to trim the deficit to two, 22-20. Freeman stopped the run with her third kill of the set as ORU held on to take game one, 25-22.

With the score tied at 5-5 in the second stanza, UND used a 3-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. ORU responded with a 4-1 stretch to level the score, 9-9. Trailing 17-14, the Golden Eagles once again battled back with a 4-1 run to tie the score at 18-18. ORU claimed their first lead of the set, 21-20, on a Rivas service ace and scored four of the final seven points to take game two, 25-23.

In the third, UND took a 16-10 advantage following an 8-2 run. The Golden Eagles battled back to within three, 19-16, but were unable to draw any closer as the Fighting Hawks claimed the set, 25-21.

In a back-and-forth fourth stanza that featured eight ties and three lead changes, the Fighting Hawks came out on top 25-22 to send the match to a fifth and decisive set. UND closed the set on a 3-0 run after a LaCour kill had evened the score at 22-22.

ORU jumped out to a 3-1 start in the fifth before the Fighting Hawks answered with a 3-1 stretch of their own to even the score, 4-4. The two squads traded the next six points before a 3-0 run by UND gave them a 10-7 advantage. After Dunford put an end to the surge with a kill, the Fighting Hawks closed the set on a 5-1 run to claim the game, 15-9, and the match.

Match Notes

• Thursday's match marked the 10th meeting all-time and second this season between ORU and UND.
• In five-set matches this season, the Golden Eagles are now 1-3.
• Dunford topped ORU in kills for a fifth straight match.
• Jeslyn Spencer and Baptiste contributed with nine and seven kills, respectively.
• Defensive specialist Kyla Randall was the fourth Golden Eagle to reach double-figure digs as the freshman recorded 10.
• At the net, LaCour registered four blocks, while Freeman totaled three.

Up Next
ORU remains at home to face North Dakota State Saturday, October 29 at 1 p.m. inside the Cooper Aerobics Center.
 
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