Saturday, October 28, 2006

Valparaiso came up short Saturday evening in the second match of its three-match road trip, falling at the hands of Mid-Con rival Oral Roberts 3-0 (30-24, 30-20, 30-22).

The Crusaders struggled offensively all night, tallying only 35 kills for the match and hitting at just a .087 clip. Meanwhile, Oral Roberts racked up 50 kills and hit .274 for the match. The Golden Eagles also held the advantage in digs (46-41) and blocks (10-8).

Brittany Marks (Elkhart, Ind./Memorial) continued her hot play in the back row for the Brown and Gold, registering a match-high 17 digs. Marks has now led the Crusaders in digs in 33 consecutive matches, dating back to 2005, and is averaging 5.34 digs/game, good for second in the league.

Allison Sears (Elkhart, Ind./Memorial) paced the Crusader attack, recording eight kills. Sara Hughes (San Antonio, Texas/Perrysburg [Ohio] H.S.) dished out 18 assists and tallied 10 digs for the match's only double-double.

Ori Zuzic led Oral Roberts (21-7, 9-0 Mid-Con) with 20 kills on just 42 attacks. Cris Alves was the only Golden Eagle to reach double digits in digs, registering 16.

Valparaiso (16-10, 6-3 Mid-Con) concludes its road swing Sunday afternoon, taking on Missouri State. First serve is slated for 2:00 p.m.