The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 3 – Western Illinois 0
Records: ORU (8-21, 5-12) – Western Illinois (4-25, 0-17)
Location: Western Hall (Macomb, Ill.)
 
MACOMB, Ill. – The Oral Roberts volleyball team snapped a seven-match losing streak with a sweep (25-20, 25-12, 25-18) of Western Illinois Thursday evening inside Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois.

Trinity Freeman paced the offensive attack for the Golden Eagles as the sophomore put down a match-best 11 kills on 24 swings for a .375 hitting percentage. Outside hitter Jeslyn Spencer joined Freeman in double-figures with 10 kills.

For the third straight match, Kalena Vaivai topped ORU in assists with a match-high 32. On the defensive side, Breanna Rivas scooped up 20 Leatherneck attacks to lead all players. At the net, Sakira LaCour totaled a match-best six blocks. 

In the opening set, the Golden Eagles raced out to a 4-0 start. The Leathernecks responded with four of the next five points to draw within one, 5-4. With the score tied at 12-12, WIU used a 4-1 stretch to take a 15-13 lead at the media timeout. Out of the stoppage, ORU used a 6-1 run to take a 19-16 lead and force a Leatherneck timeout. Following the pause in play, the Golden Eagles pushed their stretch to 8-1 and went on to take the first set, 25-20.

The first five points of the second stanza went the way of the Golden Eagles, led by two kills from Freeman. Following a 4-1 stretch by WIU that drew them to within two, 6-4, Freeman sparked a 5-1 run with her fourth kill of the set as ORU took an 11-5 advantage. After another 5-1 stretch by the Golden Eagles extended their lead to 18-9, ORU scored seven of the final 10 points to claim the second set, 25-12.

In a back-and-forth third set that saw the two sides even at 10-10, the Leathernecks put together the first run of the stanza with a 3-0 stretch that gave them a 13-10 lead. After an ORU timeout, the Golden Eagles responded with a 7-0 run to regain the lead for good, 17-13. ORU claimed eight of the final 13 points to win the set, 25-18, and the match.

Match Notes

• Thursday's match marked the 52nd meeting all-time between the two sides. 
• With the win, the Golden Eagles improved to 46-6 all-time against the Leathernecks.
• The Golden Eagles swept the season series against WIU.
• The victory snapped a seven-match losing streak for ORU. 
• Freeman topped the Golden Eagles in kills for the 18th time this season.
• Vaivai dished out 30-plus assists for the eighth time this year.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles conclude their 2022 season on the road at St. Thomas Saturday, November 19 at noon.
 
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