The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 1 – UTEP 3
Records: ORU (2-7) – UTEP (4-5)
Location: Cooper Aerobics Center (Tulsa, Okla.)
 
TULSA, Okla. – Trinity Freeman logged her third career double-double but the Oral Roberts volleyball team fell in four sets (20-25, 25-23, 19-25, 17-25) to UTEP in their final match of the ORU Invitational Saturday afternoon inside the Cooper Aerobics Center.

The sophomore racked up a team-best 16 kills to go along with a career-high 14 digs for her first double-double of the year. Breanna Rivas joined Freeman as the only other Golden Eagle with double-digit digs as the sophomore finished with a team-best 17.

In the opening set, the Miners raced out to a 5-1 start before ORU tallied two of the next three points. UTEP created more separation later in the game with a 6-1 run that pushed their advantage to 21-12. Three consecutive points by the Golden Eagles cut the Miners lead to 23-19 but the Miners went on to take the set, 25-20.

 After the two sides traded the opening four points of the second stanza, Freeman sparked a 4-0 run with her fifth kill of the match. ORU stretched their lead to 11-5 courtesy of a second 4-0 stretch but UTEP had a response. The Miners totaled four straight points of their own to even the score at 18-18 before Sakira LaCour broke the run with a kill. With the score tied at 23-23, ORU tallied the final two points to claim the second set, 25-23, and even the match at 1-1.

The Miners tallied six of the first eight points of the third set to take the early advantage. A 6-1 run stretched the UTEP lead to 20-12 before a LaCour solo block stopped the bleeding for ORU. The Golden Eagles drew within three, 22-19, with a 4-0 run that featured two Freeman kills but the Miners scored the final three points to win the set, 25-19.

In the fourth and final set, the Miners used runs of 6-0 and 6-1 to build a 17-9 advantage. A 5-1 run by the Golden Eagles cut the deficit to six, 23-17, but it wasn't enough as UTEP finished off the match with a 25-17 victory.

Match Notes

• Saturday's contest marked the 20th meeting all-time between the Golden Eagles and Miners.
• With the loss, the all-time series is tied at 10-10.
• Freeman led ORU in kills for the seventh time this season.
• The sophomore set a new career-high for digs with 14.
• Bryanne Soares dished out a team-best 22 assists.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles return to action Sept. 16-17 for the Red Raider Classic in Lubbock, Texas.
 
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.