OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 13, 2021) – Two weeks ago, Oklahoma Christian's hopes of making the Lone Star Conference volleyball tournament were all but dead. The Eagles had won only three of 13 LSC matches to that point and a four-match winning streak to close the regular season seemed more than unlikely.

But suddenly, things clicked for the Eagles and they indeed did win their fourth straight match on Saturday afternoon, rallying (of course) for a 3-1 (25-27, 25-18, 25-15, 25-23) win over Texas A&M International on Senior Day in the Eagles' Nest.

OC (11-17, 7-10 LSC) finished in a three-way tie with Eastern New Mexico and Texas A&M-Kingsville for 11th place in the LSC standings and based on the Eagles' five-set win Friday over TAMUK, they squeezed into the conference tournament field as the 12th seed. OC will visit fifth-seeded Texas A&M-Commerce (14-9, 12-5) in a first-round tournament match at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Entering the day, OC needed a win and for results of three other matches to potentially fall the Eagles' way. TAMUK's loss at Arkansas-Fort Smith dropped the Javelinas (13-10, 7-10) into a tie with OC and Eastern New Mexico (7-18, 7-10), which won at home against Texas Woman's. ENMU earned the No. 11 seed, based on wins over OC and TAMUK.

Coach Jason Skoch had the pleasurable task of informing his team after the match about their good fortune, and cheers and squeals emitted from the players, who were circled around their coach. It's been a bumpy ride at times this season, but the Eagles accomplished one of their team goals.

As has been the case most of the season, the Eagles ended up winning the hard way against a game squad from TAMIU (4-20, 4-13). OC had three set points in the opening set, but gave up a 3-0 run to the Dustdevils at the most inopportune time to fall behind.

OC mostly controlled the next two sets, but the Eagles found themselves in trouble again in the fourth set, down 16-7 and in danger of being forced to a potentially decisive fifth set. But the Eagles were having none of that.

Slowly, OC chipped away at that deficit and finally pulled even at 20-20 on a kill by Lily Saenz, shortly after Skoch inserted her into the match for a change of pace. TAMIU eased back ahead 23-22, but consecutive kills by Morgan Demuth gave the Eagles a match point, which Kyla Chavez cashed in with an ace.

Skoch only used 10 players in the match and most played key roles. Hannah Rouse (11 kills, 11 digs), Chavez (21 assists, 11 digs), Spencer Plato (20 assists, 16 digs) and the squad's lone senior, Allyssa Hamlin (11 kills, 12 digs) each recorded a double-double as the Eagles hit a healthy .285, the team's second-highest attack percentage of the season.

Kelsie Schiefelbein had seven kills and a team-high six block assists. Yolaine Lopez had 10 kills and four block assists. Demuth led OC's attack with 14 kills. Libero Brylie Berryman had 23 digs and seven assists.

Mackenzie Catalina, TAMIU's career leader in kills, added 16 to her total in her final match and added 14 digs, and Ilina Spasova added 13 kills and seven digs for the Dustdevils, who posted a .146 attack percentage.

OC's current four-match winning streak is the longest since the Eagles began playing collegiate volleyball again with the spring 2021 season, after the program was dropped following the 1983 season. The Eagles also have recorded double-digit wins in a season for the first time since 1979.