Lady Bison capture their first SAC title since 1982
November 10, 2010
The Oklahoma Baptist University volleyball team claimed their first Sooner Athletic Conference volleyball championship with a 3-0 win against Mid-America Christian University last Tuesday at home.
This win makes OBU 11-2 in the SAC conference. It is their first SAC title since 1982.
Claiming their first SAC title since returning as a sport on Bison Hill was no problem for the Lady Bison. OBU won the three sets 25-9, 25-17 and 25-21. 17 different players contributed to the win.
Among them, Rupia Inck led the team with 13 kills followed by Kristin Pressley’s 11 kills. Setter Sabra Clark delivered 30 assists. On defense, Skyler Strahm had 3.5 blocks and Clark had 2.5 blocks. Libero Cami Weimer led the defense with 16 digs and Emily Vabderburg and Suyan Leipelt had 13 and 11 each.
The Lady Bison also knocked down John Brown University on the road last Thursday. It was the first first win against the Lady Golden Eagles in Siloam for the Lady Bison.
The Lady Bison swept all three sets 25-19, 25-22 and 25-19. Clark broke her own assist record as she added 34 more assists, giving her 1,414 for the season. She set the record at 1,392 as a freshman last season. Pressley led the team with 18 kills. Strahm and Inck had nine kills to help with the win. On the defense, Inck led the team with 19 digs while Weimer had 12.
“Our team’s best quality of this season has been our girls’ work ethic,” Head Coach Anna Howle said. “I think the girls work hard every day and that’s what the key ingredient to being successful is.”
As the result of the SAC title, the Lady Bison host the conference Tournament Nov. 12-13. The tournament begins Friday at 11 a.m. with Wayland Baptist University taking on John Brown University.
The winner will meet Lubbock Christian University at 4:30 p.m. Oklahoma City University is going to compete with Southern Nazarene University at 2 p.m. The winner of this game will meet the Lady Bison in the semifinals at 7 p.m. the championship will take place Saturday at 6 p.m.
“We need to be confident that we can win and play every single point hard, one at a time. I also think we need our student fans to come and make a lot of noise for us.” Howle said.
After claiming the SAC title, the Lady Bison is looking forward to continuing the season.
“I am proud of them for what they’ve accomplished so far, but I am also hoping they will continue to press on and not settle for just a SAC title, but want more,” Howle said.
The Lady Bison ended the regular season with a loss at home. The Lady Bison fell to Texas-Brownsville, 1-3, Saturday. Now 26-8, the Lady Bison start the SAC Tournament as the regular season SAC champion.
