BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — Southwestern College showed resilience in the final set Wednesday but fell to Oklahoma Wesleyan University in three sets at the Mueller Sports Center.
The Eagles earned the 25-16, 25-15, 25-23 victory. Southwestern finished with 28 kills, 23 assists, six service aces and 43 digs, while Oklahoma Wesleyan recorded 41 kills and hit .262 for the match.
The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle early, with the teams tied nine times. Southwestern held an 11-10 advantage following a block from Ayden Joely-Petroff and Haleigh Weber, but Oklahoma Wesleyan responded and eventually pulled ahead 14-11. The Eagles later used a late scoring run to create separation and take the opening set, 25-16.
Southwestern opened the second set with a 2-0 advantage behind a Charli Richardson kill and a Natalie Blaufuss service ace. Oklahoma Wesleyan quickly responded, however, and used a lengthy run from the service line to build a 15-5 lead. The Builders continued to battle but could not overcome the deficit as the Eagles took the second set, 25-15.
The Builders delivered their strongest offensive performance in the third set, recording 15 kills and hitting .205. Southwestern jumped out to an 8-3 advantage behind four early kills from Joely-Petroff and a Blaufuss service ace. Oklahoma Wesleyan worked its way back into the set and eventually tied the score at 15.
Neither side was able to create much separation down the stretch. Joely-Petroff's service ace put Southwestern ahead 17-16 before the Eagles regained the advantage. Facing match point at 24-21, the Builders refused to go quietly. Weber delivered a kill before Mikki Johnson followed with a block to cut the deficit to 24-23. Oklahoma Wesleyan answered on the next point to close the set, 25-23, and complete the sweep.
Johnson led Southwestern offensively with eight kills while adding a service ace and a solo block. Joely-Petroff contributed across the floor with six kills, eight assists, a team-high 11 digs, one ace and three block assists. Weber finished with five kills and three block assists, while Richardson added four kills, eight digs and an ace.
Blaufuss led the Builders with 12 assists and two service aces while adding four digs. Brooklyn Milleson contributed 10 digs, two assists and an ace from the back row.
Oklahoma Wesleyan was led by Maria Andrea Santa Cruz Cossick, who recorded a match-high 16 kills while hitting .306. Maia Rubio added 10 kills, 11 digs and three service aces, while Anja Crkinic finished with nine kills on a .533 hitting percentage and six total blocks.
Southwestern will return to action Saturday against Bethel College in North Newton, Kan. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Thresher Gymnasium.
