PLAINVIEW, Texas – Wayland Baptist Volleyball put together a strong weekend inside the Hutcherson Center, picking up a pair of victories over Southwestern Christian University and Oklahoma City University. The Pioneers opened the weekend with a straight-set win before showing their resilience Saturday, battling back to defeat OCU in five sets.
Wayland started the weekend in commanding fashion against Southwestern Christian, sweeping the Eagles 25-14, 25-15, 25-14. The Pioneers finished the match with 38 kills while holding SCU to just 17 and a -.052 hitting percentage. Wayland also held a 64-52 advantage in digs and recorded six service aces.
Deniz Yileri led the WBU attack with eight kills while adding 17 digs. Olivia Ley followed with six kills, while Emma Scott and Taisiia Kalchenko each contributed five. Martyna Lewinska directed the offense with 33 assists and added 12 digs, while Milena Alliot-Maslankiewicz led the defensive effort with 19 digs and two service aces.
The Pioneers faced a much different challenge Saturday against Oklahoma City. Wayland captured the opening set 25-21 before OCU answered by taking the next two, 25-17 and 25-23, putting the Pioneers one set away from defeat. With their backs against the wall, Wayland responded by winning the fourth set 25-22 to force a decisive fifth.
Wayland finished the comeback with a 15-13 victory in the fifth, securing the 3-2 win. The match was nearly even statistically, with both teams recording 57 kills and eight service aces. Wayland held an 11-10 advantage in blocks and finished with 54 assists.
Scott turned in one of her strongest performances of the season, finishing with a match-high 19 kills on a .531 hitting percentage while adding five total blocks. Yileri recorded 12 kills, 15 digs and three aces, while Brooklyn Bundy added eight kills on a .316 hitting percentage. Alaina Baran chipped in seven kills.
Lewinska once again controlled the Pioneer offense, dishing out 45 assists to go along with eight digs and two aces. Alliot-Maslankiewicz anchored the back row with a match-high 26 digs, while Klaudia Brzeczkowska contributed four block assists.
More importantly, the Pioneers showed their ability to respond when momentum shifted away from them. After dropping consecutive sets against OCU, Wayland found a way to regroup and take the final two sets to finish the weekend unbeaten.
"Really happy with the girls not giving up and coming back after getting these team's best shot," Assistant Coach Dentton Hudspeth said. "The girls picked each other up time after time and showed a lot of grit this weekend!"
The two victories continued a strong stretch for the Pioneers, who also swept Oklahoma Panhandle State earlier in the week.
