FORT SMITH, Ark. (Feb. 9, 2021) – Arkansas-Fort Smith is an established NCAA Division II volleyball power, with a trip to the Final Four and another to the Elite Eight in the past decade. So when Oklahoma Christian's upstart squad began rallying Tuesday night, the Lions had an answer.

UAFS polished off a 3-1 win over the Eagles at the Stubblefield Center with a dominating fourth set, capping a 25-14, 25-16, 21-25, 25-7 decision. The Lions are 12-0 all-time in home openers since becoming a Division II member.

The Lions recorded long scoring runs in each set they won. OC (2-4, 1-4 Lone Star Conference) pulled within 12-10 in the first set before UAFS (2-1, 2-1) reeled off eight straight points. In the second set, OC was within 7-5 before seven straight points by the Lions, and in the fourth set, with the score tied 2-2, UAFS won 13 out of the next 14 points (including eight in a row).

Courtney Crownover was the Lions' star, finishing with 18 kills and 23 assists and a .531 hitting percentage, while Julia McCown added 15 kills to go with a .406 hitting percentage.

OC never trailed in the third set, hanging onto a narrow lead every time the Lions tried to take control. With the Eagles clinging to a 20-19 advantage, the Eagles took the next three points on kills by Talby Duerksen, Caitlynn Hudgens and Morgan Demuth, then finished the set with another kill by Duerksen.

Hudgens led the Eagles with 12 kills, while Allyssa Hamlin had eight kills and nine digs, Spencer Plato had 16 assists and six digs and Jessica Souza had 12 assists and six digs. Brylie Berryman led OC defensively with 16 digs.

The teams will play again at the Stubblefield Center on Wednesday at 6 p.m.