CHICKASHA, Okla. — Wayland Baptist Volleyball saw its four-match winning streak come to an end Saturday afternoon as the Pioneers fell to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in straight sets (15-25, 16-25, 21-25) inside Drover Fieldhouse. The loss moved Wayland to 14-9 overall and 10-5 in Sooner Athletic Conference play, while Science and Arts improved to 15-8 overall and 9-6 in conference action.
Coming off a dominant sweep of Mid-America Christian on Friday evening, the Pioneers struggled to find the same rhythm against the Drovers. Science and Arts came out firing in the opening set, recording 10 kills without an attacking error for an impressive .455 hitting percentage. Wayland managed 10 kills of its own but committed six attacking errors, allowing the Drovers to take the opening frame 25-15.
The Pioneers continued to battle in the second set but struggled to slow down the Science and Arts offense. The Drovers recorded 17 kills while committing just one attacking error, hitting .485 as a team. Wayland finished the frame with 10 kills and a .139 hitting percentage as Science and Arts claimed a 25-16 victory to take a commanding two-set advantage.
Wayland showed improvement offensively in the third set, recording a match-high 14 kills while hitting .163. The Pioneers put together their most competitive frame of the afternoon, but the Drovers continued their efficient offensive performance, recording 16 kills and hitting .317. Science and Arts closed out the match with a 25-21 victory to complete the sweep.
Emma Scott led the Pioneer offense with eight kills on 16 attempts, hitting .250 while adding a service ace. Deniz Yileri followed with seven kills and eight digs, while Sevval Aslan contributed six kills. Alaina Baran added four kills, and Brooklyn Bundy chipped in three.
Martyna Lewinska directed the Wayland offense with a team-high 16 assists, while Chloe Gray added 11 assists and led the Pioneers defensively with 12 digs. Milena Alliot-Maslankiewicz contributed seven digs and a team-high two service aces, while Aubrie Sierra added six digs.
At the net, Ana Zink led Wayland with two block assists, while Bundy and Klaudia Brzeczkowska each contributed one block assist.
The Pioneers finished the afternoon with 34 kills, 32 assists, six service aces and 47 digs while hitting .147 as a team. Science and Arts controlled the offensive battle, finishing with 43 kills and an impressive .406 hitting percentage. The Drovers also held an advantage at the net, recording eight team blocks compared to Wayland's two.
Head Coach Lucie Mahelova expressed disappointment with her team's performance and emphasized the importance of finding consistency as the Pioneers continue through conference play.
"We didn't play up to our standard today. There was a lot of disconnect on the court from yesterday's game to today's game. We HAVE to find a way to replicate a solid game every time we step on the court," Mahelova said.
Despite the setback, Wayland finished its four-match stretch with three consecutive sweeps before Saturday's loss. With the second round of Sooner Athletic Conference play underway, the Pioneers will look to regroup, address areas of inconsistency and return to the level of play they have shown throughout their recent winning streak.
