Pioneers sweep OPSU, sit atop SAC standings

After digging deep to win a thrilling second set, Wayland Baptist had no trouble finishing off Oklahoma Panhandle State in three in Sooner Athletic Conference volleyball action Tuesday night in Hutcherson Center.
 
"They were gassed," Wayland coach Jim Giacomazzi said of the visiting Aggies (1-7, 1-2 SAC) after the hard-fought second game in which the Pioneers fought off three set-points.
 
The Pioneers' 25-13, 28-26, 25-9 victory – on the heels of a pre-match ribbon-cutting ceremony for the redesigned floor in the Hutch – was the team's third win in as many matches on Wayland's home floor. WBU improved its season record to 3-4 and conference mark to 3-0, leaving the Pioneers atop the conference standings.
 
After cruising in the first game, Wayland trailed the second by as many as five early. The Pioneers fought their way back in it but still trailed 26-25 when they got a kill from Kellie Kozak to tie it, benefited from an OPSU ball-handling error, then, after an OPSU timeout, clinched it with a kill by Mallorie Ellis.
 
"We kept them in it because we had 10 hitting errors in the second set," Giacomazzi said.
 
Still, they found a way to win, and in the process extinguished all of OPSU's fight.
 
After hitting just .086 in the second, Wayland improved that mark to .444 in the third set when the Pioneers jumped on top 9-2 and never looked back.
 
Kozak finished with 15 kills and hit .333 with five blocks, including three solos. Daniel added 14 kills and 14 digs for her third straight double-double, while Ellis put down a season-high 11 kills with 14 digs.
 
Libero Jordan Breding's 16 digs led the team, while Jessica Nguyen produced 40 assists and 10 digs for WBU's third double-double of the match.
 
"Jessica is doing a really good job dishing the ball out and minimizing her ball-handling errors," said Giacomazzi, who called junior left-side hitter Sadie Hall an "unsung hero. She's not flashy but holds her position well and has done a nice job. Tonight she got good, quality digs at the right time."
 
We had a good night defensively," the coach added. "We're showing a lot of hustle and getting a lot of great stats. Almost 70 digs in three sets…that's remarkable. For us to do that is wonderful, but on the other hand the reason it's happening is our blocks aren't really blocking and we're not terminating the ball fast enough."
 
Wayland hit .211 as a team, compared to OPSU's .032.
 
The Pioneers conclude their five-match home stand with two tough opponents this weekend. First at 7 p.m. Friday Wayland welcomes Texas Wesleyan (5-4, 2-0), which qualified for the NAIA National Championships last season and took defending national champion Lindsey Wilson, Ky., to five earlier this season.
 
"Texas Wesleyan is a solid team with nice returners back and a new coach," Giacomazzi said. "They're a very good blocking team, so we will have to hit higher and use deception to get the ball across the net."
 
Then at 11 a.m. Saturday, WBU hosts Southwestern Assemblies of God (7-1, 2-0), ranked the equivalent of 27^th. The Lions own wins over then No. 21 Bellevue (Neb.) and No. 17 Georgetown (Ky.).
 
"They're a solid team, and we expect them to be on a mission."