ABILENE, Tex. – The Golden Eagles went 1-1 on the first day of their Texas road trip, getting revenge on Alabama A&M but falling to Tarleton State. ORU recorded a multitude of season-highs against the Bulldogs but ultimately dropped their late-night matchup against the Texans.
 
In their first match of the Wildcat Classic, ORU faced off against Alabama A&M, playing against each other for the second time this season. Looking to avenge the Golden Eagles 1-3 loss earlier this year, ORU defeated the Bulldogs in four sets (25-18, 25-21, 25-27, 25-17).
 
ORU opened the first set strong as Natassia Baptiste logged two kills in the first three Golden Eagle points. ORU went back and forth with the Bulldogs until the Golden Eagles sparked a 9-0 run, extending their lead to 10 (21-11). A successful challenge from Head Coach Luke Ward on set point awarded ORU set one.
 
The Bulldogs weren't going down without a fight and opened set two on a 5-1 run, giving ORU a chance to answer. Two kills from Trinity Freeman and kills from Rachel Resta and Natassia Baptiste led to a 12-4 ORU run, leaving the Bulldogs in the dust, marking yet another dominant set.
 
7-1 and 9-4 runs by the Bulldogs shifted the momentum in their favor in set three, leaving too large of a gap for the Golden Eagles to overcome. Set four was all Golden Eagles as they went on a 6-2 run to open the set and a 10-4 run to close the set and match.
 
In the Golden Eagles second match of the day against Tarleton State, they fell 1-3 (20-25, 25-27, 25-21, 10-25) to the Texans. Trinity Freeman led ORU in kills (12), Rachel Resta led the team in assists (24) and Thaynara de Jesus led the team in Digs (23).
 
Match Notes

• Trinity Freeman recorded her fifth match with 20+ kills as a Golden Eagle against Alabama A&M. She also logged her 60th match leading ORU in kills.
• Rachel Resta racked up 39 assists against Alabama A&M, her tenth time leading the Golden Eagles in assists and third time she has recorded 30+ assists this season. That mark is also a new career-high for the freshman setter.
• Thaynara de Jesus logged her second and third match as a Golden Eagle with 20+ digs and her 10th match leading the team in digs against Alabama A&M.
• The Golden Eagles recorded 51 kills against Alabama A&M, the highest number of kills recorded in an ORU match this season.
• Rachel Resta creeped up on a double-double against Tarleton State logging 24 assists and eight digs.
• ORU is now five matches away from 1,000 wins as a program.

 
Up Next
ORU will conclude the Wildcat Classic against tournament host, Abilene Christian tomorrow at 6:00 p.m.
 
For the latest information on ORU Athletics, follow @ORUAthletics on X or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics App in the Google Play or App Store.