Bronchos Sweep TWU

DURANT, Okla. (Aug. 31) – No. 19-ranked Central Oklahoma rolled to its fourth straight win – and fourth straight sweep – with a rout of Texas Woman's here Friday afternoon on the first day of the South Central Classic.

The Bronchos rallied from an early deficit to take the opening set 25-21, cruised to a 25-15 second-set win and then pulled out a tight 27-25 verdict in the third set to complete the sweep of their former Lone Star Conference rivals.

UCO, now 5-2 on the season, completes the two-day tourney Saturday with a 2 p.m. showdown against No. 20-rated Wayne State and a 7 p.m. contest against Southern Arkansas.

"We didn't play great, but made some key plays when we needed them," head coach Edgar Miraku said. "A lot of different players are contributing and that's something you always like to see."

Two-time All-American Taylor Bevis paced the Bronchos once again, racking up 16 kills against just two errors in 39 attempts for a .359 hitting percentage. The senior star added 14 digs.

Karyn Chrisman and Malia Kaaiohelo had eight kills apiece, while Haley Deschenes added seven and Jordan Spence six. Ericka Scholl did most of the setter work, finishing with 27 assists, 13 digs and two service aces, with Dominique Lipari's 19 digs leading the defensive efforts.

Central fell behind 4-0 in the first set, battled back to a 5-5 tie and then trailed 13-12 before getting three straight Bevis kills in a 5-0 run to take the lead for good at 17-13.

It was a 21-20 advantage when two TWU errors and another Bevis kill made it 24-20. The Pioneers got a kill to get within 24-21 before a ball-handling error ended the set.

A Bevis kill and Scholl ace gave the Bronchos a 3-1 lead in the second set and UCO cruised from there, but the final set was close throughout.

The two teams went back-and-fourth and it was tied at 20, 23, 24 and 25 before a ball-handling miscue put Central on top 26-25. Spence and Chrisman then teamed up for a block to end the set and complete the sweep.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#16 Taylor Bevis: OH; 5' 10"; Senior

#3 Karyn Chrisman: RS/OH; 6' 0"; Senior

#13 Haley Deschenes: OH/RS; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#7 Malia Kaaiohelo: MB; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#1 Dominique Lipari: DS/L; 5' 1"; Junior

#4 Ericka Scholl: S; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#8 Jordan Spence: MB; 6' 1"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#16 Taylor Bevis
: 5' 10"; Senior
: OH

#3 Karyn Chrisman
: 6' 0"; Senior
: RS/OH

#13 Haley Deschenes
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: OH/RS

#7 Malia Kaaiohelo
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: MB

#1 Dominique Lipari
: 5' 1"; Junior
: DS/L

#4 Ericka Scholl
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: S

#8 Jordan Spence
: 6' 1"; Senior
: MB