University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

Bronchos sweep Northwest Missouri

9/26/2014 9:21:00 PM

Whitney Gifford

Box Score

EDMOND (Sept. 26) – Juliette Smith and Sabetha Young teamed up for three blocks during a key second-set surge that sparked unbeaten Central Oklahoma to a sweep of Northwest Missouri Friday night at Hamilton Field House.

UCO continued its best-ever start with the 25-23, 25-18, 25-18 victory, improving to 15-0 on the season and 5-0 in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play. The Bronchos are home again Saturday, hosting league rival Missouri Western at 7 p.m.

The Bearcats led 13-10 in the second set before Smith and Young stepped up with their trio of big blocks to spark a 10-1 run that gave UCO a 20-14 lead. The Bronchos went on to close out the set and then completed their 12^th sweep of the season.

"We had a bunch of big blocks in the match, especially in the second set after we got behind," head coach Edgar Miraku said. "We didn't play our best, but found a way to get it done and now we've got another tough match tomorrow."

Barbara Jackson had a team-high 10 kills for the Bronchos, while Bonnie Vernon and Allison Barr added eight apiece. Smith and Young chipped in five kills each, with Smith adding six blocks and Young five.

Whitney Gifford played exceptionally defense for UCO in coming up with 24 digs, saving several points with acrobatic saves.

The Bronchos never trailed in the first set, but couldn't pull away and it was tied 22-22 before back-to-back Vernon kills gave UCO some breathing room. NWMSU stayed alive with a ball-handling error before Jackson finished it off with her third kill of the set.

UCO was in its 13-10 second-set hole when Smith and Young ignited the comeback. Their third block of the 10-1 spurt gave the Bronchos a 20-14 lead, with Vernon adding a solo block and Young teaming with Barr on another rejection the rest of the way.

Vernon's kill broke an 11-11 tie in the third set and put UCO on top to stay, with Smith and Young following that with another combo block and the Bronchos stayed safely ahead the rest of the way.

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