Tulsa Volleyball Wins Seventh Straight, Downs ORU 3-1

Friday, September 16

Reynolds Center

7:00 p.m.

Tulsa

9-1

Oral Roberts

6-5

Oral Roberts

Tulsa

Photo by: Dave Crenshaw

Tulsa Volleyball Wins Seventh Straight, Downs ORU 3-1

9/16/2016 9:39:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Riley Ubben

TULSA, Okla. –– The University of Tulsa Volleyball team won their seventh straight match, defeating cross-town rival Oral Roberts on Friday at the Donald W. Reynolds Center, 3-1. The Tulsa (9-1 overall) attack was led by senior Erica Bohannon, who racked up 22 kills on the evening while Brooke Berryhill anchored the defense with 30 digs.

Tulsa stormed out to a 9-0 lead, led by three consecutive kills by Bohannon to start the match. Oral Roberts scored its first point on a kill by Lucija Bojanjac, but the Hurricane got kills from Reeve and Moore, extending its lead to 12-1. ORU only got as close as 14-6, as TU cruised to the 13-point first set victory. Tulsa hit .522, as Bohannon and Reeves tallied five and four kills, respectively. Berryhill put up seven digs, and TU held ORU to .034 hitting, and converted 84 percent of sideouts.

"It was a grind," said TU Head Coach Ryan Wills. "We came out at the beginning in the first set and played pretty flawless, probably one of the best sets we've played all year long. Sometimes it's kind of tough after that, you struggle a little bit mentally and emotionally with how to handle it. I think about halfway through the second set, we enjoyed the grind a little more and once we did that we found a way to win that close set."

Tulsa continued its run in the second frame, taking a 3-0 lead on a kill by senior middle blocker Jaime Rahilly and a rare kill from defensive specialist Taylor Horsfall. TU extended its advantage to 10-5, but Oral Roberts tied the score, 15-all, before taking its first lead at 18-17. The Golden Eagles led by as much as 21-18, but following a timeout, Tulsa got kills from Reeve and Rahilly as it roared back to take the lead, 23-22. Reeve and Bohannon scored back-to-back kills to break a 23-23 tie and give the Hurricane the set. Bohannon had five kills, senior outside hitter Trinity Alualu had four kills, and Berryhill racked up 11 digs in the stanza.

Oral Roberts took the first lead in the third set, scoring the first two points, before the Golden Hurricane responded with two points of their own. The visitors would lead 13-10, but Tulsa scored five straight points as part of an 8-2 run that put the home team on top, 18-15. ORU then scored four straight to re-take the lead, and went on to win the set, 25-23. ORU hit .306 and TU hit .235 in the set. Bohannon tallied eight kills and Berryhill recorded seven digs in the frame.

"Their numbers [Berryhill and Bohannon] were pretty ridiculous," said Wills. "That's what you expect of your seniors. It's a grind, you're playing against your cross-town rival, you need them to step up and make big plays and they did. Their numbers were great, but on top of that they made some plays at critical times and found a way."

ORU got out to a 10-6 lead in the fourth set, before Tulsa closed the gap to 12-11. Down 18-14, the Hurricane then scored three in a row to pull within 18-17, and took over the lead at 23-22 – its first in the frame since 3-2. Facing set point down, 24-23, the Hurricane scored three consecutive points to clinch the match with the 26-24 win. TU recorded three blocks and 11 kills, overcoming a .071-hitting set, while holding ORU to .048 on attacks.

The Golden Hurricane plays Northwestern State at 11 a.m. and Louisiana Tech at 7 p.m. Saturday. ORU and LaTech play at 9 a.m., and Northwestern plays ORU at 5 p.m. Earlier Friday, Louisiana Tech defeated Northwestern State, 3-1.

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