PLAINVIEW, TX -- Wayland Baptist left it all on the court Friday night inside Hutcherson Center, but despite rallying back from an early deficit, the Pioneers came up just short in a five-set thriller against
RV Nelson University (12–25, 27–25, 25–22, 25–20, 11–15).
After a slow start in the opening frame, Wayland regrouped with a gritty performance in the second set. Behind the steady setting of
Martyna Lewinska (54 assists) and a balanced offensive attack, the Pioneers edged Nelson, 27–25, to even the match.
Wayland carried that momentum into the third and fourth sets, where
Fade Ogunbade led the front line with 16 kills while hitting an impressive .394.
Deniz Yileri and
Averi Penner added 18 kills apiece, providing the firepower needed for the Pioneers to start fighting back after the third and then force a decisive fifth set with a 25–20 win in the fourth.
The decisive frame, however, belonged to Nelson. Despite the energy from the home crowd, Nelson capitalized on Wayland's miscues late in the set to escape with a 15–11 victory.
Defensively, the Pioneers had strong contributions from
Carlee Heidebrecht and Yileri, who combined for 37 digs, while
Rachel Russell anchored the back row with 15 digs of her own. Wayland's front line also registered four team blocks, with Ogunbade recording three solo stuffs.
Head coach
Lucie Mahelova and the Pioneers will look to build on the positives from Friday's hard-fought battle as they continue conference play.
With the loss, Wayland moves to
6-6 overall and 5-3 in SAC play, while Nelson improves to 9-8, 7-1 SAC.
The Pioneers return to action
Saturday, September 27th, when they host
RV Texas Wesleyan inside the Hutcherson Center at 6:00 PM.
