ORU Volleyball Takes Down South Alabama

Laura Milos exploded for 29 kills as Oral Roberts University downed South Alabama, 3-1, on day two of the Pepperdine Asics Classic. ORU's record is now 1-1 on the season.

THE BASICS

Score: Oral Roberts 3, South Alabama 1 (25-20, 25-21, 20-25, 25-18)

Records: South Alabama 0-2, Oral Roberts – 1-1

Location: Firestone Fieldhouse – Malibu, Calif.

TURNING POINT

ORU scored the final three points of the 1st set to take a 1-0 lead and set the tone for a productive morning. Milos blasted kills on two of the three points.

THE LEADERS

Oral Roberts: The big day from Milos set the tone, but she was far from the only Golden Eagle to have a big match. Kylie Johnson led the club with 16 digs and Lucija Bojanjac recorded 48 assists

South Alabama: 2013 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Mechell Dennis finished with 13 kills and 10 digs

1ST SET – ORU, 25-20

Milos crushed 10 kills on 15 attempts, and the Golden Eagles hit .516 as a team. ORU led for good after a Shelby Cox kill broke an 11-all tie, and Milos had kills on two of the final three points.

2ND SET – ORU, 25-21

The Golden Eagles built a 3-0 lead on a block and a kill from Sadie Schaffner and never trailed. Head Coach Sheera Sirola called timeout after the Jaguars cut the lead to 20-19, and ORU responded by scoring five of the set's final seven points, including three kills from Milos.

3RD SET – SOUTH ALABAMA, 25-20

The Jaguars scored 12 of the first 18 points and coasted to a 3rd set win.

4TH SET – ORU, 25-18

ORU dominated the 4th set, racing out to a 13-3 lead and forcing two Jaguar timeouts in the process. Sara Pope smashed an ace on match point after Schaffner posted kills on the previous two points.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

- The 29 kills from Milos were the most from a Golden Eagle since Sept. 9, 2006, when Ori Zuzic blasted 36 against Utah Valley

- Pope came through with 10 kills, the 25th double-digit performance of her ORU career.

- Maggie DiPronio tallied 10 digs, her first career double-digit effort

- Johnson led ORU in digs for the 4th time in her career

- ORU did not have a service ace until the 4th set, when DiPronio launched one on the 5th point of the period, but they recorded six in the frame

- Jovana Poljasevic recorded the first three service aces of her collegiate career

NEWS AND NOTES

- Sophomore Nika Mostahinic made her season debut, finishing with six digs

- Bojanjac was just one dig shy of a second straight double-double

- ORU is now 24-19-1 all-time in the state of California

- The Golden Eagles are now 5-5 all-time against teams from the state of Alabama

- The two programs had never met before Friday

UP NEXT

ORU returns to the court tonight to face Pepperdine at 7 p.m. PT.