Gruber, Fernandes Lead ORU Over McNeese State

Oral Roberts University's senior leadership was on display Saturday afternoon as the Golden Eagles swept McNeese State 3-0 in Southland Conference play.

ORU (8-11, 4-4 SLC) handled the match wire-to-wire, winning by scores of 25-12, 25-19 and 25-22.

Senior Sheina Fernandes led the Golden Eagles with 14 kills, while fellow senior Joana Gruber notched her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and 10 digs. Gruber hit .348 on 23 attempts and Fernandes hit .522, also on 23 attempts.

Junior Laura Taylor had a second straight standout game, with six kills and 40 assists, while Jessica Pancratz added six kills and a team-high five total blocks. Freshman Sadie Schaffner added eight kills and three blocks.

ORU finished with 10 blocks to McNeese's three. The Golden Eagles also dominated the offensive statistics, hitting .380 with 50 kills. The Cowgirls (6-14, 1-6 SLC) came up with just 33 kills and a .155 hitting percentage.

The Golden Eagles are now 2-0 all-time against McNeese.

ORU has a two-match winning streak but it must play its next three matches away from Tulsa. ORU plays at Central Arkansas on Saturday at 2 p.m.