USAO’s Season Comes to an End in the SAC Tournament at Nelson University

WAXAHACHIE, Texas – Tuesday night, the No. 8 seed University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (13-19, 9-13 SAC) opened the Sooner Athletic Conference with a tough three-set loss at top seeded Nelson University (28-4, 22-0 SAC). 

On Tuesday, the Lions got off to a tremendous start and jumped out to a 12-2 advantage midway through the opening set, prior to cruising to a 25-6 win.

The Drovers got off to a much better start in the second set and trailed only 6-5 early on. The Lions held strong and went on to win the set 25-17. 

Nelson stayed red hot for the start of the third set, holding a commanding 13-5 lead midway through the frame. The Lions wrapped up the match with a 25-9 triumph. 

As a team, the Drover offense compiled a -.047 attack percentage with 18 kills, while the Lions recorded a .325 attack percentage and 33 kills. USAO's setters dished out a total of 18 assists, meanwhile the defense produced 30 digs and 3.0 total blocks. Nelson produced 31 assists, 39 digs, and 8.0 total blocks. Additionally, USAO recorded one service ace, while NU tallied nine.

Jaliyah Cox led the Drovers with five kills in the match, along with 10 digs. Cox concludes the season with a program record of 306 kills.

Alacia Ledoux added four kills, followed by Morgan Kobe and Giselle Calderon with three each. 

Bailey Makahununiu distributed a team-high of 16 assists, along with four digs. The freshman also set the new program record for assists in a single season, closing with 626.

Brynlee Birney concluded the match with seven digs and became the first player in program history to surpass 500 digs in a single season. The freshman ends the season with 505 digs.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will now head into the offseason and begin preparations for the 2025 season.

Stay up to date on all Science & Arts Athletics news by following us on our media platforms!

Athletics Website: www.usaoathletics.com

Live-stream: www.sacsportsnetwork.com/usao

YouTube: Drover Athletics

Twitter/X: @DroverAthletics

Facebook: @DroverAthletics

Instagram: @drover_athletics

GIPHY: www.giphy.com/USAODrovers