BETHANY, Okla. — A hiccup in the third set Friday evening on the road did not stop the Oklahoma Panhandle State volleyball team (12-10, 10-5 SAC) from cruising to a dominant 3-1 (25-14, 25-11, 25-27, 25-10) victory over Southwestern Christian (1-17, 1-14).
 
With the impressive performance, the Aggies became just the third Sooner Athletic Conference team to 10 SAC wins this year. The win simultaneously marked OPSU's 11th straight in the all-time series and fourth straight overall.
 
Taylore Alsaid, Nyah Ulmer and Elena Kagiali set the tone for the visitors, recording four, four and three service apiece while the entire trio finished with double-digit digs. Alsaid led all players in the match with 24 digs, just ahead of Winiffer Rodriguez' 22.
 
The defensive excellence was on display throughout the night, as OPSU racked up 28 more digs than the home team in holding SCU to an .033 hitting percentage.
 
At the net, Kagiali swatted 16 kills and had four block assists, while Skyla Stark and Emma Coburn helped out with three blocks to their credit.
 
Ava Newby put together a strong match with 10 kills at a .429 success rate. Mia Sanchez helped the offensive cause with 39 assists and three kills on just four swings, and Ulmer added a season-high seven assists as she moved over 700 helpers in her career.
 
OPSU made quick work of the Eagles in the first two sets, but it ran into trouble facing an early 14-6 deficit in the third frame. Alsaid and Kagiali helped bring the Aggies all the way back to match point, ahead 25-24, but SCU made a final charge to force a fourth set.
 
The fourth and final set was all Aggies, highlighted by a stretch of three consecutive aces from Ulmer that got Panhandle State in front by 15, 20-5.
 
What's up next: OPSU looks to guarantee a .500-or-better record in SAC play when it concludes its weekend Saturday with opening serve at 1 p.m. at Oklahoma City (10-10, 7-7).