OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Wayland Baptist Volleyball continued its strong play Friday evening, sweeping Mid-America Christian University in straight sets (26-24, 25-16, 25-16) inside the Gaulke Activity Center. The victory marked the Pioneers' third consecutive sweep and improved their record to 14-8 overall and 10-4 in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
The Pioneers opened the match with an impressive offensive performance in a tightly contested first set. Wayland recorded 15 kills while committing just two attacking errors, hitting .371 as a team. Despite a strong effort from Mid-America Christian, the Pioneers battled through the opening frame to secure a 26-24 victory and take an early advantage in the match.
Wayland carried that momentum into the second set, establishing control on both sides of the net. The Pioneers recorded 10 kills while limiting the Evangels to a .000 hitting percentage. Strong defensive play and consistent offensive execution helped Wayland pull away for a 25-16 victory, putting the Pioneers one set away from another conference sweep.
The Pioneers continued to dictate the pace in the third set, recording 11 kills while holding Mid-America Christian to a .043 hitting percentage. Wayland closed out the match with another 25-16 victory to complete the straight-set sweep.
Deniz Yileri led the Pioneer offense with 11 kills on 24 attempts, hitting .333 while adding 11 digs for a double-double. Taisiia Kalchenko followed with seven kills without committing an attacking error, finishing with a .333 hitting percentage. Brooklyn Bundy added six kills while hitting .313 and contributing two blocks.
Emma Scott made her presence felt at the net, recording five blocks to lead the Pioneers defensively while adding three kills and two service aces. Sevval Aslan contributed four kills and three blocks as Wayland controlled the net throughout the match.
Chloe Gray directed the Pioneer offense with a team-high 15 assists while adding 10 digs. Martyna Lewinska followed closely with 14 assists, eight digs and a service ace.
Defensively, Milena Alliot-Maslankiewicz anchored the back row with a match-high 20 digs, helping the Pioneers finish with 56 digs as a team.
Wayland finished the evening with 36 kills, 35 assists, six service aces and seven team blocks while hitting .222 as a team. The Pioneers' defensive effort limited Mid-America Christian to a .070 hitting percentage and just one team block.
Head Coach Lucie Mahelova was pleased with the progress her team has made throughout the season and the improvements beginning to show on the court.
"We have been getting better each week and it was good to see some of that come to fruition today," Mahelova said.
The victory marked another step forward for the Pioneers as they continued their push through the second round of Sooner Athletic Conference play. With three consecutive sweeps and a 10-4 conference record, Wayland looks to carry its momentum into the remainder of the regular season.
