PLAINVIEW, TX -- Wayland Baptist turned in a dominant performance Friday night inside the Hutcherson Center, rolling past Southwestern Christian in straight sets (25-14, 25-16, 25-12) to secure their second conference victory of the season. The win pushes the Pioneers to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
Wayland controlled the match from start to finish, hitting an impressive .350 as a team while holding the Eagles to a mere .018. The Pioneers' balanced attack saw several players shine at the net. Averi Penner powered the offense with a match-high 13 kills on a .407 hitting percentage, while Deniz Yileri added 11 kills on .296 hitting. Emma Scott provided a spark with five kills in just two sets, hitting an efficient .625, and Fade Ogunbade chipped in five kills of her own at a .308 clip.
Setter Jordan Schlageter kept the offense firing smoothly with 17 assists, while Emme Wilson dished out 14 more. Schlageter also added six digs, while libero Rachel Russell anchored the back row with four.
Wayland's serve proved to be another weapon, as the Pioneers finished with six aces, led by Aubrie Sierra's two. Defensively, Taisiia Kalchenko and Ogunbade combined for three blocks, while Yileri and Penner each added 11 digs to lead the team.
The Pioneers never trailed in the opening two sets and closed out the sweep with a dominant third set, showcasing both efficiency and depth across the lineup.
Wayland Baptist will now turn its attention to a marquee matchup as they host Oklahoma City University on Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Hutcherson Center. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
