The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 1 – Central Arkansas 3
Records: ORU (0-1) – UCA (2-0)
Location: Hammons Student Center (Springfield, Mo.)
 
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Oral Roberts volleyball team dropped their 2022 season opener in four sets (30-28, 20-25, 22-25, 21-25) to Central Arkansas Friday afternoon at the Hammons Student Center in Sprinfield, Mo.

The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 7-3 start in the opening set before a 6-1 run by the Bears put them in front 9-8. ORU battled back to level the score at 24-24 and Trinity Freeman later put the Golden Eagles back in front, 26-25, with a service ace. After fighting off their third set point of the game, ORU got back-to-back kills from Jeslyn Spencer and a service ace from Sakira LaCour to take game one, 30-28.

After ORU opened up a 9-5 lead in the second, UCA responded with a 5-0 spurt to even the score, 9-9. Following a second 5-0 run by the Bears, LaCour and Spencer brought the Golden Eagles to within one, 19-18, but that would be as close as ORU would get as the Bears took the set, 25-20.

In the third, it was a back-and-forth affair early that saw ORU hold a 12-11 advantage following back-to-back errors by the Bears. UCA responded though with a 6-0 stretch to open a 17-12 lead. Three consecutive points by ORU drew them to within one, 22-21, but the Bears finished off three of the final four points to claim a 2-1 advantage.

Kills from Natassia Baptiste and Kaia Dunford highlighted a 5-1 start to the fourth for ORU. UCA battled back and used a 5-1 run of their own to take their first lead of the set, 17-15. The Golden Eagles failed to recover from another 5-1 spurt by the Bears, sealing the victory for UCA.

 
Inside the Box Score

• Freeman led the Golden Eagles with 17 kills and nearly missed a double-double, finishing with nine digs. With her 17 kills, the sophomore has now surpassed 300 for her career.
• LaCour joined Freeman as the only other ORU player with double-digit kills, recording 11.
• Bryanne Soares dished out 34 assists and scooped up nine digs. The junior has now reached at least 30 assists in 18 career matches.
• Three Golden Eagles registered double digit digs, led by Dunford with 15. 
• Dunford and LaCour accounted for a combined 12 blocks, six each, on the afternoon for ORU. The six blocks for Dunford were a new career-high. 
• Spencer added nine kills and 10 digs for the Golden Eagles.
• As a team, the Golden Eagles totaled a match-best 13 blocks.

 
Up Next
The Golden Eagles return to action tomorrow for day two of the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational as they take on Tennessee Tech at noon.
 
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.