BETHANY, Okla. (Oct. 26, 2021) – Keep playing matches like this and Oklahoma Christian and Southern Nazarene – already decades-long archrivals in many sports – will develop a fierce rivalry in volleyball as well.

For a second straight season, OC and SNU went back and forth and pushed a match to five sets, this time on SNU's home court. The result wasn't as good for OC as it was during the spring season, though, as the Crimson Storm controlled the final set en route to a 3-2 (25-16, 22-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-7) nonconference win on Tuesday night inside the Sawyer Center.

Ultimately, it was SNU's defense that won the match for the Crimson Storm, as they recorded 13 blocks and had four players reach double digits in digs. SNU (9-12) also posted a .179 attack percentage on offense, with OC (7-16) hitting only .073. The Crimson Storm used a 6-0 run in the fifth set to take a 12-6 lead and OC wasn't able to rally.

Anna Strother recorded a career-high 10 kills (and hit .250) to lead the Eagles' offense, while Hannah Rouse had eight kills, four aces and 15 digs. Spencer Plato had 26 assists and eight digs and Brylie Berryman contributed 23 digs for OC.

A 5-0 run early in the first set by SNU proved key as the Crimson Storm went ahead. OC trailed 12-5 in the second set but scored seven straight points (a run that included three kills by Morgan Demuth), then scored four straight to go up 18-14 and held on from there to even the match.

The third set was tied 19-19 when SNU went on a 6-1 run to finish the set. OC blew a 6-1 lead in the fourth set and trailed 10-7 and 13-10, then rallied to go up 21-15. SNU tied the set at 21-21 before a kill by Strother and an ace by Kyla Chavez gave OC some breathing room. A kill by Yolaine Lopez preceded an attack error by the Crimson Storm and the match again was tied.

But just as OC dominated in a spring match against SNU in Oklahoma City – winning the fifth set 15-7 – the Crimson Storm did the same on Tuesday. Whitney Bowie and Sunny Batschelett each had 14 kills, with Bowie adding seven block assists and Batschelett four. Grace Miracle had 11 kills, 16 digs and five block assists for SNU, while Breckynn Myers had 47 assists and 15 digs.

OC's final five regular-season matches all will be against Lone Star Conference opponents, beginning Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Eagles' Nest against Arkansas-Fort Smith.