Tigers fail to lift off at Jet Classic

WICHITA, Kansas -- Ouachita Baptist stumbled to a 1-3 record this weekend at the Newman University Jet Classic in Kansas.

The Tigers (10-3) dropped their first match under new head coach Allison Frizzell-Kizer on Thursday in straight sets to St. Edwards (8-4). The bounced back for a split on the second day.

"Much better day overall than yesterday," Frizzell-Kizer said Friday. "We clicked better this evening and made some defensive adjustments that helped our offense be steady.

"Katie Camp stepped up and played solid offensively and defensively while J.J. (Mack) was consistent on serve receive. It's a long weekend, but it's making us grow as a team and begin to understand each of our roles."

Northwest Missouri (8-3), prevailed in straight sets in the first match on Friday. Each set was a back-and-forth affair, but the Bearcats ultimately won, 25-20, 25-22, 25-22.

Senior Stormi Leonard made 33 assists, sophomore Julianna Mack made 19 digs, sophomore Shannon Hogan had 11 digs and junior Adrianna Nolly had 10 kills.

The Tigers responded by sweeping the host Newman (1-8) in straight sets. Despite the 18 kills the Tigers hit in the first set, the third set saw Ouachita with its highest hitting percentage at .323. With the score tied 8-8, the Tigers closed out the match making a 16-2 run and gaining their first win in the tournament.

Ouachita had at least 12 kills in each set, led by Camp, who recorded the first double-double of her career as a junior. She made 15 kills and a career-high 16 digs.

Leonard also recorded 38 assists, while Mack dug out 18 balls. Redshirt freshman Hannah Johnston rounded out the dig party for Ouachita with 10 scoops.

Ouachita dropped its final match in the tournament on Saturday to Arkansas-Fort Smith (7-5) in five sets. The Lions took a 2-0 set en route to a 25-18, 25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 15-13 victory.

The Tigers averaged a .055 hitting percentage in the first two sets and failed to lead at any point. They trailed by as many as five points in the third set, but a 6-0 run led to a set win.

The final set saw seven lead changes. Fort Smith took control of the match with a 5-0 run to pull out the victory.

Camp was named to the All-Tournament Team with 46 kills and 42 digs, averaging a double-double through the tournament. Leonard finished with 134 assists, while Mack made 64 digs in the four matches.

Ouachita will be back at home today at 6 p.m. against Southern Arkansas (3-8).

Sports on 09/11/2018

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