EDMOND, Okla. - Milestone nights and lights-out attacking took center stage at the Eagles' Nest on Tuesday evening, as the Oklahoma Christian University volleyball team shook off an opening-set stumble to dominate rival Southern Nazarene 3-1 (16-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-14).
The victory was anchored by two unforgettable individual performances. sophomore setter Summer Van Meerveld eclipsed 1,000 career assists during the second-set surge. Meanwhile, sophomore outside hitter Kenzy McArtor delivered a masterpiece on the wing, pounding down a match-high 20 kills on a sizzling .594 hitting percentage.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Set 1: Southern Nazarene jumped out early, capitalizing on three service aces and taking advantage of early OC offensive errors to claim the opening frame 25-16.
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Set 2: Oklahoma Christian flipped the script completely in the second set, finding its offensive groove behind Van Meerveld and Zoe Wisdom's distribution. The Eagles racked up 18 kills on .341 hitting, riding back-to-back aces from Macey Nehring during a late 7-0 run to level the match with a 25-18 victory.
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Set 3: Carrying the momentum into the third, OC's frontline went to work. McArtor took total control, hammering down seven kills in the set alone, while the Eagles hit .319 as a team and pulled away for a comfortable 25-17 win.
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Set 4: The Eagles saved their best offensive display for last, burning the Storm defense with 16 kills on a blistering .387 hitting percentage. OC dominated from start to finish, capping off the comeback with a 25-14 runaway win to seal the match.
BY THE NUMBERS
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Kenzy McArtor: 20 kills, 1 error, 32 total attacks (.594 hitting pct.), 3 digs, 2 block assists (21.5 total points).
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Summer Van Meerveld: 32 assists (surpassing 1,000 career assists, entered the night needing 27), 5 digs.
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Jenna McClure: Double-double performance with 16 kills, 14 digs, and 1 block assist.
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Chloe Jones: 11 kills on .370 hitting, 17 digs, 1 block assist.
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Macey Nehring: Team-high 15 digs and 2 service aces.
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Zoe Wisdom: 15 assists and 2 digs.
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Team Stat Line: OC hit .320 as a team with 63 total kills and 6.0 team blocks, while holding SNU to just .167 hitting and forcing 17 attack errors.
UP NEXT
With the victory, Oklahoma Christian improves to 11-9 overall and will get back to conference play this weekend, hosting Sul Ross State on Friday at 6 p.m., and Western New Mexico at noon on Saturday.
