WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State hit on all cylinders in the opening two sets then held on for a 25-6, 25-13, 30-28 Lone Star Conference opening win over Central Oklahoma Thursday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
MSU continued its incredible start to the regular season as the Mustangs rolled to 14-0 and ended an 18-match losing streak to the Bronchos.
"It feels good to snap the streak they had on us," MSU coach
Venera Flores-Stafford said. "It's one thing on the path to bigger things."
Midwestern's last win over a Central Oklahoma team came in a 3-0 decision on Oct. 18, 1996 in Wichita Falls.
The Mustangs committed a single error in the opening set and hit .586 on the way to a 25-6 rout of the Bronchos.
MSU continued its finely tuned attack into the second set as the Mustangs hit .458 to claim the second set 25-13.
Meanwhile, Midwestern kept the pressure on the UCO attack as the Bronchos managed just 13 kills while committing 11 errors over the first two sets.
"We had an all-around game," Flores-Stafford said. "That's the way we need to play the whole time. Now, we just have to take it one match at a time and one point at a time."
Central Oklahoma pushed the Mustangs in the third set, but the MSU was able to hold on for a 30-28 win to close out the match.
"The way they came out in the third set is what we expected in the second set," Flores-Stafford said.
Senior setter
Allison Schreiber spread the attack liberally while recording 46 assists and leading the Mustangs to a .440 team kill percentage.
Junior middle blocker
Alysha Pritt led the squad with 17 kills while hitting an efficient .536.
Opposite hitter
Whitney Maxwell added 12 kills and made just one error to hit .611, while outside hitter
Jessica Ransom finished with a 11 kills and one error for a .476 hitting percentage.
Freshman
Hillary White turned in another solid performance with six kills and a .455 kill rate.
Senior libero
Shay Velasquez paced a staunch defensive effort for MSU with 17 digs. The Mustangs finished with 46 digs compared to UCO's 27.
The Bronchos managed team hitting percentages of .042 in the first set and .036 in the second before finishing with a .153 for the match.
The Mustangs take on Southwestern Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. First serve is set for noon.
