The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 2 – North Dakota 3
Records: ORU (2-12, 0-2) – North Dakota (4-10, 1-1)
Location: Mabee Center (Tulsa, Okla..)

TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts volleyball team fell to Summit League foe North Dakota in five sets (18-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-15, 14-16) Saturday afternoon inside the Mabee Center. 

Setter Kalena Vaivai dished out a match-best 42 assists on the afternoon, en route to surpassing 1,000 for her ORU career. With the performance, Vaivai has now totaled 40-plus assists in three straight matches. The Wailuku, Hawaii, native also registered six kills, six digs and two blocks in the contest.

Junior Trinity Freeman logged her third straight 20-plus kill performance after downing a match-best 21 on 60 swings for a .300 attack percentage. Freeman also scooped up 12 Fighting Hawk attacks for her fourth double-double of the season. The Phoenix, Arizona, native also recorded a season-high tying three blocks in the match.

Hannah Jackson followed Freeman offensively with 11 kills on 19 swings for a .316 hitting percentage. The freshman has now logged double-digit kills in two of the last three matches. Thaynara de Jesus rounded out the offensive attack for ORU as the junior totaled eight kills on the afternoon. The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native also added 10 digs in the match.

Libero Breanna Rivas led the Golden Eagles on the backrow as the junior racked up a match-best 19 digs. Defensive specialist Alaina Larson contributed with 10 digs and five service aces, both of which were career-highs for the freshman. At the net, Natassia Baptiste registered a match-best five blocks, while Kedron Burk followed with four.

The Fighting Hawks jumped out to a 6-2 start in the opening set and later used a 7-2 run to take a 13-5 lead. That stretch allowed North Dakota to keep ORU at arm's length for the remainder of the set as they went on to win, 25-18.

In the second, the Golden Eagles registered three of the first four points before North Dakota battled back to even the score at 6-6. After ORU opened an 18-15 lead, the Fighting Hawks used a 4-0 run to jump in front 19-18, forcing a Golden Eagle timeout. Out of the stoppage, ORU rattled off seven of the final 10 points to claim the set, 25-22, and even the match.

After a 5-1 stretch put UND up 14-9 in the third, the Golden Eagles responded with a 6-1 run to even the score at 15-15. Vaivai paced the run for ORU as the senior totaled two of her six kills. The two sides traded the next eight points before back-to-back Fighting Hawk kills put them in front, 21-19. That was all the cushion UND needed as they held on for a 25-23 win in the third.

The Golden Eagles raced out to a 4-0 start in the fourth behind the arms of Freeman and Jackson, who registered two kills apiece during the stretch. After the Fighting Hawks evened the set at 14-14, ORU closed the fourth on an 11-1 run to win, 25-15, and send the match to a deciding fifth set. During the stretch, Freeman logged three kills and Shelbi Steen chipped in with two.

Following a 4-1 start to the fifth by the Golden Eagles, UND registered back-to-back points to draw within one, 4-3. After ORU opened a 13-11 advantage, the Fighting Hawks used a 3-0 spurt to jump in front, 14-13. A de Jesus kill evened the score once again but UND totaled the final two points to claim the set, 16-14, and the match.

Match Notes

• Freeman matched her career-high with 21 kills.
• The junior has now led ORU in kills in nine straight matches and has reached double-figures in seven straight. 
• The double-double marked the seventh of her career.
• Vaivai surpassed 40-plus assists for the fourth time in her ORU career.
• The senior's six kills matched her career-high.
• Rivas has reached double-figure digs in three straight matches.
• In her career, the junior has totaled double-digit digs in 29 matches.
• The double-digit dig performance from Larson marked the first of her career.
• The freshman's five service aces were the most by a Golden Eagle this season.
• Four different ORU players logged three blocks led by Baptiste with five.
• As a team, the Golden Eagles totaled nine blocks to the Fighting Hawks five.
• Saturday's contest marked the 11th meeting all-time between the two sides.

Up Next
ORU hits the road for a Summit League contest at Kansas City on Saturday, September 30 at 1 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.