The Basics
Score: Evangel 3, MidAmerica Nazarene 1 (25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 25-18)
Records: Evangel (9-1, 6-1), MidAmerica Nazarene (8-6, 5-4)
Location: Springfield, Mo. | Ashcroft Center
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The red-hot Evangel volleyball team cruised to a fifth-consecutive win Saturday afternoon, avenging its lone setback of the season with a four-set (25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 25-18) victory over MidAmerica Nazarene at the Ashcroft Center.
Tori Lowry continued her torrid play with a 14-kill, 22-dig effort to lead the Crusaders, who improved to 7-0 at home this season.
Evangel took control of the opening set early, taking advantage of three early MNU miscues to build a 5-2 lead. Leading 17-12, the Crusaders put the set away with a 5-0 spurt behind the service game of Eryn Russell. Ciera Reyes recorded four of her 13 kills in the 10-point first-set victory for EU.
The Crusaders led throughout the second stanza as well, with its 10-2 run setting the tone early. MNU closed to within one point in the late stages of the game, but Regan Ansley delivered a critical kill to spark a 5-2 EU spurt to seal the win.
The third set featured numerous lead changes, with the two clubs splitting the first 32 points of the game before MNU opened up a 22-20 edge. EU bounced back to level the score at 23-23 on a put-away by Bridget Petersen, but a Jennifer Roth kill and a Crusader attack error handed the Pioneers their lone set of the match.
EU took control of the fourth set with an 11-3 run, as Lowry delivered a pair of aces to hand the Crusaders a commanding 17-9 advantage. The Pioneers would get no closer than six points the rest of the way, as EU avenged its Sept. 18 loss to MNU in Olathe.
Evangel limited the Pioneers to 0.157 hitting for the match. Russell logged 26 digs, while Petersen added 12 kills and four blocks for the Crusaders.
UP NEXT
Evangel will be back in action next Saturday (Oct. 24) with a trip to Marshall to take on Missouri Valley in a 4 p.m. match.
–EvangelAthletics.com–
