Box Score

McKenzie Fyfe (Photo provided by Greg Devereaux)

Central Oklahoma UCO 29-6

Concordia-St. Paul CSP 29-3

Central Oklahoma UCO

29-6

Final

Nov. 30, 2017

Concordia-St. Paul CSP

29-3

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	F
Central Oklahoma UCO	20	23	22	(0)
Concordia-St. Paul CSP	25	25	25	(3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | 11/30/2017 3:21:00 PM

Bronchos Fall To Defending Champs in Regional Opener

UCO Postgame Press Conference

MARSHALL, Minn. (Nov. 30) – It was a battle from start to finish, but in the end Central Oklahoma couldn't quite keep up with NCAA Division II juggernaut Concordia-St. Paul in the first round of the Central Regional here Thursday afternoon.

The No. 3-ranked and eight-time national champion Golden Bears claimed a three-set sweep, though it was far from easy. The Bronchos fell 25-20, 25-23, 25-22 in a match that saw 19 ties and eight lead changes, with the second set proving to be the turning point as UCO couldn't hold on to a 20-14 lead.

CSP improved to 29-3 in advancing to Friday's semifinals, while the Bronchos – with seven freshmen and just one senior on the roster -- saw their season ended at 29-6.

"Our girls had a decent game, though certainly there's some things we could have done better," said sixth-year head coach Edgar Miraku, whose team has won 90 matches the last three years. "We had more unforced errors that usual, but some of that was due to what Concordia did and how they adjusted."

Central had 15 hitting errors and had a .238 attack percentage. The Golden Bears, ranked sixth nationally in hitting percentage, finished at .379 and also had 12.0 blocks to just 2.0 for the Bronchos.

Taylor Bevis, who was named to the All-Tournament team, hit .312 and had 15 kills to lead UCO. Alexis Washington and Haley Deschenes had seven kills apiece, with Washington hitting .600. McKenzie Fyfe distributed 35 assists and Dominique Lipari made a match-high 12 digs.

The Bronchos played without two key reserves as both Malia Kaaiohelo and Allie Davis were unable to make the trip after falling ill the day before UCO left for Minnesota.

"We don't want to use that as an excuse," said Miraku of not having Kaaiohelo and Davis. "It's unfortunate for those two to not have the opportunity to participate this week. I think it says a lot about our team. They handled things well and we could have pulled out a win today."

Indeed, Central had plenty of chances to pull off what would have been a stunning upset.

The Bronchos had a 7-5 lead in the opening set after a Karyn Chrisman kill before a 7-2 run put CSP in front to stay at 12-9. UCO stayed close and it was a 19-17 deficit after back-to-back Deschenes kills, but the Golden Bears had three kills and a service ace the rest of way to finish off the win.

Central was poised to even the match in the second set after grabbing a 14-7 lead behind three Bevis kills and a pair of Ericka Scholl aces. It was still a six-point lead at 20-14 when Jordan Spence's diving save on a CSP attack went over the net and fell in for a point.

But the Golden Bears wouldn't go away.

A 6-1 run cut UCO's lead to 21-20 and it was 23-21 after Washington's spike at the net. That would be the last point for the Bronchos, however, as CSP had two kills and a block in reeling off four unanswered points to pull out the dramatic comeback.

Central refused to go down quietly in the third set, overcoming early 3-0 and 6-3 deficits to take a 12-11 lead on Callie Bangasser's ace. Another Washington slam dunk at the net had the Bronchos on top 16-15 and it was 17-16 following a CSP error.

Three straight kills put the Golden Bears in front 19-17 and UCO wasn't able to recover as CSP went on to end another stellar season by Miraku's Bronchos.

"We are super, super young and that's only going to benefit us in the future," said Bevis, the junior star who finished the year with 529 kills. "We're striving to build a legacy here."

The Bronchos are accomplishing that, having compiled a 90-15 record with two national tournament appearances in the last three years. Washington was the lone senior on this year's club, which should once again be a prime national contender in 2018.

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