THE RUNDOWN
DBU (3-3) took down Oklahoma Baptist University (4-3) Friday for their first game of the 2019 Patriot Classic.  This is the first time the Lady Patriots have hosted the Bison at home.  Junior Alyssa Pevehouse made a statement on the court posting a career-high 27 digs while senior Keely Hardin matched her career-high with 28.

In the first set, the Lady Patriots came out strong with a 5-0 lead over OBU.  The Bison rallied back to lead the Lady Patriots 16-13. Two kills from Brooke Clark and a kill by Kasey Holand led the team back to a two-point deficit ahead of an OBU timeout. Clark led the set with five kills, but it wasn't enough to win the first set.  OBU won 25-21.
 
In the second set, DBU and the Bison matched point for point but the Lady Patriots were able to extend the lead to 6-3 after an attack error from the Bison.  The Bison battled back to close the gap tying the game 11-11, but DBU went on a 3-0 run to get ahead 14-11.  The Lady Patriots kept that fire clenching a 16-12 lead over OBU, but the Bison rallied back to tie the game 16-16. DBU and OBU matched the next four points keeping a tie game until the Lady Patriots finally pulled ahead 23-21.  After a battle to the end and a final kill from freshman Savannah Whitfield, the Lady Patriots took the second set, 25-23.
 
The Bison led the third set as the Lady Patriots trailed 11-5. A couple of attack errors by the Bison and a kill via Emma Eakin helped DBU to a 3-0 run.  Three more kills from Eakin and an attack error from Oklahoma Baptist led the Lady Patriots back to a one-point deficit forcing a timeout by OBU.  After the break, Lexie Houston had a massive kill to tie the game, but a service error by the Lady Patriots allowed the Bison to lead by one.  The Lady Patriots were able to get some momentum to tie the game 15-15. The Bison inched ahead to a 22-19 lead over DBU, but another Eakin kill closed the gap 23-21.  It wasn't enough to take the third set with OBU winning 25-21.
 
DBU started off the fourth set strong with a major block right out the gate.  A couple kills from the Lady Patriots took them ahead to a 6-3 lead over the Bison.  Two attack errors from the Bison widened the lead for the Lady Patriots, but it was a bad serve that ultimately brought DBU to a 10-9 lead over the Bison.  A kill by Emma Eakin helped DBU gain some momentum to go on a 5-0 run ahead of a timeout.  The Lady Patriots kept their lead after the break to post a score of 19-13, but three kills by the Bison closed the gap to 19-16. The Bison inched ahead but a kill by Brooke Clark gave the Lady Patriots another three-point lead. A couple kills and a service ace by the Bison tied the game to 20-20. The Bison and Lady Patriots exchanged points for another 22-22 tie.  The Bison crept ahead to a 24-22 lead, but a kill via Lexi Houston and an attack error by the Bison tied the game 24-24. A final kill by Brooke Clark notched the Lady Patriots to a 26-24 lead to win the fourth set.
 
Going into the final set of the match the Bison led 4-3 before OBU challenged a call giving the Lady Patriots an extra point to tie the game 4-4.  A couple kills by DBU and a bad set by the Bison allowed the Lady Patriots to sneak ahead to a 6-4 lead. Both teams exchanged one point, but it was DBU who kept the streak going to lead 9-7.  OBU fought back to tie the game 9-9 going into DBU's first timeout.  It was a fight to the end, but two back-to-back attack errors put the Lady Patriots on top 13-11.  OBU challenged the attack error in order to stop the drive by the Lady Patriots, but it wasn't enough.  DBU kept their lead to win the final set, 15-12.  
 
KEY STORYLINES
-Keely Hardin tied her career-high digs with 28 while Alyssa Pevehouse posted a career-high 27 digs
-Brooke Clark posted a career-high 20 kills
-Freshman Macey Winburn led the leaderboard with a .500 hitting percentage
-This is the first time DBU has beat Oklahoma Baptist at home
 
HEAD COACH CATHY KOKEL ON THE TEAM'S FOCUS
"Our focus has been fundamentals, serve and pass game, and a relentless pursuit of competitiveness and communication. We're not talking about wins and losses, we're talking about being the best we can on our side of the court and this team is buying into that."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
62- Total kills by the Lady Patriots
128- Total digs
5- Lady Patriots posted double-digit digs
 
UP NEXT
DBU will be back on their home court to face Missouri Southern State Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. in the Burg Center