IPFW Tops ORU In Four Sets

All four sets were a battle to the end, but the Oral Roberts University volleyball team fell 3-1 (23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 24-26) on the road at IPFW Friday night at the Gates Sports Center.

ORU had three players reach double digits in kills, including Sara Pope with a team-high 14. Shelby Cox added a career best 11 kills with a .529 hitting percentage, while Laura Milos had 10 kills. Kylie Johnson had a game-high 15 digs for ORU.

The Turning Point

After getting a win in set three, ORU jumped out to a 6-0 advantage in set four and led 14-6 before an 11-2 IPFW run put the Mastodons on top 17-16. IPFW went on to win the set 26-24 to clinch the match.

The Leaders

Sara Pope led ORU with 14 kills and hit .312 for the match. Shelby Cox had 11 kills on 17 attempts and hit an astounding .527 for the match, the highest percentage on either team. Lucija Bojanjac had 44 assists and Kylie Johnson had 15 digs. ORU had nine blocks for the match, five of which Jovana Poljasevic had a hand in.

IPFW's Emily Spencer had a game-high 25 kills on 55 attempts, hitting .364 for the match to go along with her team-high 14 digs. Madison Spence (24 assists) and Mallory Slyder (23 assists) split time as the setter.

Inside the Box Score

- ORU hit a better percentage as a team, finishing at a rate of .261 as compared to IPFW's .243

- IPFW had an overwhelming advantage at the net, earning 16.0 total blocks, while ORU sent back just 9.0.

- The first set was an offensive battle, with ORU hitting .483 and the Mastodons posting a .472 mark.

News & Notes

- Shelby Cox had a career high 11 kills, her first double-digit effort of the year.

- Either Sara Pope or Laura Milos has led ORU in kills in all 18 matches this season

- Cox's .527 hitting percentage was the third best by a Golden Eagle this season. Sadie Schaffner hit .714 against South Alabama (8/30) and Coox hit .600 against Denver (9/29).

Up Next

ORU will return to the Kenneth H. Cooper Aerobics Center on Sunday for a 12:30 match against North Dakota State.