EL PASO, Tex. – The Golden Eagles took part in the Sun City Classic this weekend, falling to Texas Southern, #24 UCLA and UTEP.

The Golden Eagles found themselves in an early hole against Texas Southern, dropping the first set 25-20. ORU trailed by as many as six points as Texas Southern grabbed the advantage for good at 15-14 in a set that was knotted up three times before the Tigers took over in the second half of the stanza. The Golden Eagles fell in set two 25-22, digging a 2-0 hole in the match. ORU fell behind on the first point and never clawed back into the lead before dropping the set. In set three, the Golden Eagles couldn't survive a late Texas Southern rally, falling 25-21 after leading by seven points earlier in the set.
 
Oral Roberts couldn't overcome the challenge as they faced their first ranked opponent in two years. ORU trailed by as many as nine points as UCLA never gave up the lead in a set that was tied up just once before the Bruins took control to win the first set 25-16. The Golden Eagles then dropped the second set 25-17 to fall behind in the match two sets to none. The Golden Eagles fell behind on the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before falling in the set. The Golden Eagles came up short in set three, 25-22 as UCLA grabbed the advantage for good at 7-6 in a set that was tied up nine times before the Bruins took the match.
 
ORU trailed by as many as 13 points as UTEP never surrendered the lead in a set that was tied just once before the Miners took over. In set two, the Golden Eagles trailed by as many as eight points as UTEP grabbed the advantage for good at 11-10 in a set that was knotted up five times. ORU couldn't prolong the match and lost in set number three after dropping the first point and never holding the lead, losing the set 25-16.
 
Match Notes vs Texas Southern

• Suze Zijlstra had a match-high 11 kills, followed by Elyse Dube with 10.
• Julia Carr had a team-high 13 digs.
• Golden Eagle attackers were helped by a match-high 18 assists from Farah Helmy.
• Jenna Salyer led ORU with five blocks.

Match Notes vs #24 UCLA

• Hope Hickman had a team-high eight kills.
• ORU got a team-high 11 digs from Julia Carr.
• Farah Helmy had a team-high 17 assists.

Match Notes at UTEP

• Suze Zijlstra had a team-high two aces and a team-high seven kills.
• Oral Roberts got a team-high nine digs from Julia Carr.
• Golden Eagle attackers were helped by a team-high 12 assists from Farah Helmy.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles will stay close to home, participating in the Tulsa Volleyball Invitational next weekend (Sept. 19-20), facing off against Tulsa, New Mexico State and Little Rock over the course of two days.
 
For the latest information on ORU Volleyball, follow @ORUVolleyball 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.