Drovers Win in Four Sets on the Road at Central Christian

MCPHERSON, Kan. – Friday night, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (13-11, 7-8 SAC) overcame an slow start to claim a four-set victory on the road at Central Christian College (3-17, 1-13 SAC). In head-to-head matchups, the Drovers now own a 7-5 advantage against the Tigers since October 2020.

With the win, the Drovers move to eighth in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings, with seven matches remaining in the regular season. At the conclusion of the regular season, the league's top eight teams will qualify for the SAC Tournament, beginning Nov. 11.

Overall, USAO has a13-11 record this season, just one win shy of matching the program record for a single-season, achieved in 2021 when the Drovers finished 14-17.

On Friday, the teams traded points early on, but Central Christian managed to hold a slim 13-12 advantage midway through the opening set. The score remained tight down the stretch, with the Tigers clawing their way to a 25-23 win.

USAO held a 13-11 advantage halfway through the second set, prior to gaining momentum and pulling the match even with a 25-18 win. The Drovers jumped out to an early lead in the third set and cruised to a 25-15 win to take a 2-1 advantage in the match.

The fourth set was tightly contested once again, but USAO was able to wrap up the match with a 25-22 triumph.

As a team, the Drover offense produced .106 attack percentage with 44 kills, while the Tigers recorded only a .054 attack percentage and 37 kills. USAO's setters dished out a total of 43 assists, meanwhile the defense produced 73 digs and 5.0 total blocks. CCC produced 31 assists, 63 digs, and 12.0 total blocks. Additionally, the Drovers scored on eight aces, while the Tigers served up six aces.  

Chloe Conover and Morgan Kobe led the Drover offense with double-digit kill performances. Conover recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs, in addition to an ace and three blocks. Kobe put away 11 kills on a .300 attack percentage, along with four aces and two blocks. 

Jayla Blake tallied a season-high of eight kills and eight digs. 

Ytzel Garcia distributed 38 assists, in addition to 10 digs and an ace. 

Brynlee Birney anchored USAO's defense with 20 digs and three assists. Alacia Ledoux contributed eight digs and an ace.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 18 as they travel to Langston University. First serve is slated for 1:00 PM CT in Langston, Okla.

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