WAXAHACHIE, Texas — Wayland Baptist Volleyball wrapped up its weekend road trip Saturday afternoon with a four-set loss to Sooner Athletic Conference leader Nelson University, 15-25, 25-23, 14-25, 11-25.
The loss moved the Pioneers to 11-8 overall and 7-4 in SAC play, while Nelson remained unbeaten in conference action at 11-0. Wayland entered Saturday's match after facing Texas Wesleyan on Friday, giving the Pioneers back-to-back tests against two programs that have consistently been near the top of the conference.
Nelson grabbed control early in the opening set, taking a 25-15 win. Wayland responded with its best offensive performance of the afternoon in the second set. The Pioneers recorded 17 kills while committing just three attacking errors, hitting .275 as a team on their way to a 25-23 victory that evened the match at one set apiece.
Nelson regained control in the third set, holding Wayland to a .000 hitting percentage and taking the frame 25-14. The Lions carried that momentum into the fourth, closing out the match with a 25-11 win.
Deniz Yileri led the Pioneer offense with 12 kills while adding 17 digs for a double-double. Alaina Baran finished with eight kills, while Sevval Aslan added seven. Brooklyn Bundy and Emma Scott each contributed six kills, with Bundy hitting .250 for the match.
Martyna Lewinska directed the Wayland offense with 34 assists and added 10 digs. Milena Alliot-Maslankiewicz led the Pioneers defensively with 19 digs and also contributed seven assists. Lilou Henry-Souquet-Bressand recorded both of Wayland's service aces.
Wayland finished the match with 41 kills, 41 assists and 64 digs. The Pioneers were held to a .095 hitting percentage, while Nelson finished at .268 with 54 kills. The Lions also held advantages at the service line and net, finishing with eight aces and 10 blocks.
Assistant Coach Dentton Hudspeth said the weekend provided the Pioneers with an important look at the level they are working toward reaching.
"We needed to see this level of play. These were the two teams who have been at the top of the conference the last couple years. We want to play at this level and we needed to see that we have a lot of growing to do," Hudspeth said.
The Pioneers will look to use the weekend as an opportunity to grow as they continue through the second half of their Sooner Athletic Conference schedule.
