LAWTON, Okla. (March 10, 2021) – It no doubt took longer than coach Barry Wheeler would have liked, but on its sixth match point, Oklahoma Christian finally sealed a second straight win over Cameron on Wednesday – a verdict that will send the Eagles to the Lone Star Conference volleyball postseason.

In another remarkable chapter in OC's first season after reviving its program, the Eagles – competing in their first campaign since fall 1983 – sealed a third-place LSC North Division finish with a dramatic 3-2 (25-18, 25-19, 25-27, 13-25, 15-13) win over Cameron at Aggie Gym.

After sweeping its two-game road set against the Aggies, OC (5-10, 4-8 LSC) now is guaranteed a spot in the LSC tournament, which will begin on March 23. The Eagles will have a couple of nonconference matches before then to stay sharp.

"Making the conference tournament was our team goal," Wheeler said. "There were some matches earlier in the season that didn't go our way, but these last two nights they did. I'm proud of the effort these girls put in daily on the court, from the sidelines and in the classroom."

The stars abounded for OC on Wednesday. Up front, Allyssa Hamlin threw down 17 kills, while Caitlynne Hudgens added 15 to go with 20 digs. Hannah Rouse and Talby Duerksen added eight kills each.

Spencer Plato (31 assists, 14 digs), Jessica Souza (19 assists, seven kills, nine digs) and Brylie Berryman (12 assists, 35 digs) continually set up their teammates. Karlee Alonzo added 18 digs and the Eagles served eight aces, led by Alonzo with three and Plato with two.

The Eagles rolled to a straight-set win over Cameron (2-8, 2-8) on Tuesday and were on the verge of repeating that feat, taking control of the first two sets early and closing them out.

In the third set, OC led 19-9 after a kill by Hamlin, but the Aggies rallied within 23-21. OC won the next point, but Cameron successfully fought off four match points before prevailing 27-25 in the set, extending the match. The Aggies jumped ahead 9-1 in the fourth set and made quick work of it.

In the decisive fifth set, the Eagles jumped ahead 4-0 thanks to two kills by Hamlin and another by Duerksen. Cameron caught the Eagles at 9-9 before Rouse, Duerksen and Hamlin posted successive kills. Another kill by Duerksen made it 14-12 and after the Aggies fought off a fifth match point, the Eagles sealed the win on an attack error by Cameron's Desiree Marmojelo.

It was the Eagles' sixth five-setter of the season. They've gone 3-3 in those matches.

Alanni Carter led Cameron with 18 kills while Arianna Navarette had 14. The Aggies actually had a slightly better attack percentage (.163) than did OC (.152).

Bailee Sharp made a bit of OC volleyball history when she made her first appearance of the season in the third set, becoming the Eagles' first second-generation player in the sport. Her mother, Dawn (Hamel) Sharp, played for OC's most recent team in fall 1983.

OC will host nearby rival Southern Nazarene of the Great American Conference on Saturday before visiting another GAC school, Northwestern Oklahoma State, on March 18 to end the regular season.