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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
VBCelebr
2
Washburn WU 27-4, 14-4 MIAA
3
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 28-3, 16-2 MIAA
Washburn WU
27-4, 14-4 MIAA
2
Final
3
Central Oklahoma UCO
28-3, 16-2 MIAA
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Washburn WU 25 25 18 19 24 (2)
Central Oklahoma UCO 19 23 25 25 26 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Cardiac Comeback Lifts Bronchos To Title

EDMOND (Nov. 14) – Conference champions!
 
Elizabeth Boyd came off the bench to spark Central Oklahoma to an amazing comeback that culminated in an nerve-racking 26-24 fifth-set victory as the No. 15-ranked Bronchos slipped past No. 14 Washburn to capture the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association title Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Field House.
 
UCO lost the first two sets 25-19 and 25-23 before roaring back with 25-18 and 25-19 wins to force a back-and-forth fifth set that kept a frenzied crowd on its feet until the thrilling finish, which ended on a Boyd kill.
 
"What a great match," head coach Edgar Miraku said.  "I'm so proud of this team and they way they battled back after losing the first two sets.  We just never gave up and made a lot of big plays that kept us in the match, then found a way to get it done in the fifth."
 
The Bronchos improved to 28-3 with their sixth straight win and finished 16-2 in winning their first league crown since 1994.  The Ichabods fell to 27-4 and ended up fourth at 14-4.
 
UCO will be the No. 1 seed for the eight-team MIAA Post-season Tournament that begins Tuesday with a 7 p.m. match against the No. 8 seed Emporia State.  The semifinals and finals will be held next Friday and Saturday at the site of the highest remaining seed after Tuesday's matches.
 
Barbara Jackson had a team-high 17 kills for the Bronchos to go with 16 digs.  Deborah Ijeoma Njenje added 12 kills and five blocks and Jordan Spence 11 kills and seven blocks.
 
Boyd was the key, however, coming off the bench to hit .500 with 11 kills and no errors in 22 attacks, with six of those kills coming in the fifth set.
 
Katy Davis handed out 49 assists while also making 17 digs, Whitney Gifford had a season-best 37 digs and Mikayla Bangasser made a career-high 21 digs.
 
There were 16 ties and 11 lead changes in the fifth set alone, which saw the Bronchos take a 14-11 lead on a Washburn service error.
 
The Ichabods rallied with five unanswered points to put UCO on the ropes, but an attack error tied it at 15 and the it was deadlocked again at 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 ,23 and 24 as both teams had chances to end it.
 
Washburn finally blinked with an attack error that gave the Bronchos a 25-24 lead and Boyd's sixth kill of the set off a block finally ended the two and one-half hour marathon.
 
UCO made 12 hitting errors in losing the first two sets, but jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the third set behind Bangasser's serve en route to get back in the match.
 
Boyd and Jackson had four kills apiece in the fourth set as UCO surged in front early en route to tying the match and setting up the decisive fifth set.
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