The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 3 – Kansas City 1
Records: ORU (4-9, 1-0) – Kansas City (3-10, 0-1)
Location: Cooper Aerobics Center (Tulsa, Okla.)
 
TULSA, Okla. – Kaia Dunford and Kalena Vaivai tallied double-doubles and the Oral Roberts volleyball team opened Summit League play with a four-set win (25-15, 25-18, 16-25, 25-22) over Kansas City Saturday afternoon inside the Cooper Aerobics Center.

In the win, middle blocker Sakira LaCour collected her 300th career block as the senior finished with a team-best four on the day. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, native also added 11 kills in the victory.

For the 10th time this season, Trinity Freeman topped the Golden Eagles in kills with 13 behind a .314 attack percentage. Dunford joined Freeman and LaCour in double figures with 10 kills and also scooped up 16 KC attacks for her team leading sixth double-double of the year. Freshman Serena Kohler contributed a season-best eight kills on the afternoon.

Vaivai made her fourth straight start as the setter for the Golden Eagles and dished out a match-high 38 assists, which were also a season-best. The senior also scooped up 10 KC attacks for her third double-double in the last four matches.

On the defensive end, libero Chloe Salcedo set a new career-high for digs with 19 for the contest. Defensive specialist Breanna Rivas contributed with 14 digs off the bench. 

At the service line, the Golden Eagles recorded a season-high 14 aces led by a career-high seven from Vaivai. 

ORU jumped out to a 6-2 start in the opening set before the Roos responded with a 5-1 run to trim the lead to one, 7-6. With the Golden Eagles leading 11-9, Freeman sparked a 6-0 Golden Eagle run with her fourth kill of the set. Following a 3-0 stretch from KC to trim the lead to 22-15, ORU answered with the final three points of the set to win 25-15. Natassia Baptiste finished off the game with her first kill of the afternoon.

In the second stanza, ORU tallied the first four points before a kill from Odyessey Warren broke the run. Three of the next four points went the way of the Golden Eagles as their lead grew to 7-2 and forced a KC timeout. With ORU leading 10-6, Vaivai took over on the service line as the senior registered four consecutive aces during an 8-0 run as the Golden Eagle lead bloomed to 18-6. The Roos chipped away with a 4-1 stretch to draw within six, 23-17, but ORU scored two of the final three points to take the second set, 25-18.

KC raced out to a 6-0 start in the third game before Freeman stooped the bleeding with a kill. The Roos later expanded their advantage to 14-6 with a 6-1 run. The Golden Eagles battled back to within six, 20-14, courtesy of a 4-0 surge that was capped off by a LaCour and Vaivai block. Kansas City responded with five of the final seven points to claim the set, 25-16, and send the match to a fourth stanza.

It was a back-and-forth start to the fourth as the two squads traded the opening 20 points. Leading by one, 13-12, ORU scored six of the next eight points to take their largest lead of the set, 19-14. During the stretch, Vaivai logged her seventh service ace of the afternoon. The Roos responded with a 5-0 run to even the set at 19-19 before a service error ended the stretch. ORU responded with the next three points and later claimed the set, 25-22, and match on a successful challenge by Frank Craig III.

Match Notes

• Saturday's contest marked the 55th meeting all-time between ORU and KC.
• With the win, the Golden Eagles are now 47-8 all-time and 24-3 at home against the Roos.
• In Summit League home openers, ORU is now 19-5 all-time. 
• LaCour registered her 300th career block in the win.
• Dunford picked up her 17th career double-double.
• Vaivai logged her fourth double-double of the season and tallied the 500th dig of her career
• As a team, ORU set a new season-high for service aces with 14.
• Four different Golden Eagles registered double-digit digs.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles remain on the home court as they host Summit League foe St. Thomas Tuesday, September 27 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.