BARTLESVILLE, Okla. -- The Bellevue University volleyball team fought off four match points before falling 3-2 (25-19, 19-25, 20-25, 25-21, 13-15) at Oklahoma Wesleyan University Saturday afternoon in Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference action at the Nest.
The loss dropped the Bruins (21-19, 6-2 MCAC) into a three-way tie for second place in the final conference standings and gave College of the Ozarks the regular-season league title and the right to host the MCAC Tournament next Friday-Saturday, Nov. 14-15 in Point Lookout, Mo.
Tournament pairings and times will be announced on Monday.
Junior Symone Faulkner led the Bruins with 18 kills on .483 hitting and a match-high eight blocks. Freshman Gracie Myers was also in double figures, finishing with 11 kills, six digs and a pair of blocks.
Junior Beth Walker guided Bellevue to a .205 hitting percentage, while collecting 46 assists, eight digs, seven kills and six blocks.
Freshman Taylor Holz paced the BU defense with a team-high 17 digs, while adding two assists and a service ace.
Oklahoma Wesleyan, who hit .263 in the match, was led by Emily Holingsworth's 25 kills and three blocks. Daniela Pena registered a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs.
After the two teams split the first two sets, the Bruins built an 8-6 advantage in the fifth set before the Eagles went on an 8-1 run to grab a commanding 14-9 advantage. The Bruins saved four match points on kills by Hope Lambrecht and Rachel Wald, a block by Myers and an attack error by Hollingsworth before OKWU took the match on a tip kill by the Eagles' Hilta Pereira.
