Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Box Score Goodwell, Okla.—The Oklahoma Panhandle State University volleyball team rallied against University of Texas-Permian Basin but came up short in the fourth set.

The Aggies came out of the gates with a quick kill by junior hitter Sarah Koster to gain the first point of set one; but that would be their only time to lead for the rest of the set. The Falcons gained momentum with a big scoring drive of seven straight points after the Aggies tied the game at 4-4 with a kill by Missy Marshall via Samantha McCay. UTPB's Jordan McDonald brought on another serving streak which resulted in 6 points for the Falcons putting the Aggies nine points back at 11-20. The set ended with a UTPB kill by Melissa Lusk and a final score of 14-25 favoring the Falcons.

Set two brought another loss for the Aggies but their energy and enthusiasm definitely picked up. The Aggies led in kills and hitting percentage in the second set but could not come back from another UTPB serving spree when Kelsey Kukowski led the Falcons to eight straight points giving them a seven point lead. OPSU fought back to come within three points but came up short with a 20-25 loss.

The third set brought a dominating Aggie team who led from the first point and did not relinquish that lead the entire time; the Falcons were only able to tie the game up four times early in the set. The Aggies went on their own serving spree as freshman libero Nicole Fournier brought in six straight points during her service period. The set ended with a kill by Koster via Skylar Mayeux and the Aggies winning 25-18.

Set four was a hard-fought battle for both sides. The scoring was back and forth early on and the Aggies found themselves in the lead late in the game with a score of 19-16; but a crucial kill by UTPB's Hannah Rebb brought on yet another scoring streak for the Falcons as Terra Peil came up to serve and brought the falcons seven straight points and their first lead since the beginning of the match. Set four ended on an error for the Aggies with a final score of 22-25 giving Permian Basin the win.

Leading in kills for the Aggies was Sarah Koster with ten and Brittany Dubberstein and Shaina Eddings with eight each. Koster also led the team in scoring bringing in 13 points; Dubberstein and Makayla Barrett offered nine points each. Skylar Mayeux had another impressive game with 27 assists, four kills, 13 digs, two service aces and eight total points. Libero Nicole Fournier led the team in digs with 16. Blocking looks to be a strong point for the Aggies as Koster and Mayeux worked well together to bring down four block assists; Makayla Barrett gained two solo blocks, and Jessica DeBaun, Missy Marshall, and Shaina Eddings contributed in blocking as well.

The Aggies showed signs of strength in many areas and proved that when those strengths are combined at once, they can be unbeatable. Coach Stephens said, "We continue to improve every week. This is a team that refuses to go away and is determined to have success. We've shown we're capable of being successful; we just need to be consistent and make teams earn their points. I'm proud of our team's efforts."

The Aggie volleyball team will be on the road this week starting in Abilene, Texas where they take on another conference team, McMurry University on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. From there the team will travel to Austin for two matches starting with Huston-Tillotson College on Friday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. and followed by conference play versus St. Edward's University on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Noon.