CHICKASHA, Okla. — The Oklahoma Panhandle State volleyball team (15-11, 13-6 SAC) avenged its five-set home loss on Oct. 3 to Science & Arts (16-12, 10-9) by sweeping the Drovers Friday evening on the road, 25-18, 25-11, 25-14.
 
The three-set victory made it three sweeps in a row for the Aggies, who notched their eighth consecutive match with a hitting percentage above .200.
 
As good as the offense was again for OPSU, the defense carried the visitors Friday night with 50 digs (17 more than the Drovers had), limiting the hosts to an even .000 kill percentage.
 
Panhandle State's attack took some time to get going in the match, but Elena Kagiali and Ava Newby found their stride late in the first set as OPSU went ahead, 1-0.
 
The Aggies' defense remained dominant in the second frame, keeping the Drovers to just three kills in the set as Panhandle State cruised to a 2-0 advantage.
 
OPSU fell behind early in the third set as the Drovers looked to avoid a sweep, but a 9-0 Aggie run featuring three kills by Skyla Stark put USAO to rest early on Halloween night.
 
A balanced attack saw four Panhandle State hitters – Kagiali, Newby, Taylore Alsaid and Stark – pick up seven or more kills. Newby led all players with a .571 kill percentage, helping OPSU to hit .281 as a team.
 
Winiffer Rodriguez, Kagiali and Alsaid each finished with 10-plus digs, and Mia Sanchez had 29 assists.
 
The Aggies also recorded 10 service aces, highlighted by three from Alsaid and two apiece from Emma Coburn, Nyah Ulmer and Kagiali.
 
What's up next: OPSU looks to stay hot as it has a chance Saturday to wrap up a top-four seed in the SAC Tournament when it plays at Mid-America Christian (16-10, 12-7) at 1 p.m.