Thomas Parsons

Sydney Alexander, senior accounting major jumps to tip the ball over the net with two pairs of Drover hands waiting.

On Sept. 12, the Lady Rams volleyball team returned home to face the University of Arts and Sciences of Oklahoma (USAO) Drovers in their first home Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) matchup.

The Lady Rams returned to the Sid Richardson Gymnasium after two away victories against the Southwestern Christian University Eagles (OK.) [3 – 0] and the Oklahoma City University Stars [3 – 1]. Back on home turf, the Lady Rams were poised to take on the Drovers.  

“It is always good to be back on your own home court because you have that home court advantage ,and you’re used to the gym already,” Sydney Alexander, senior middle blocker, said.  

On the other side of the net, the USAO Drovers looked to be a competitive unit. Before this match, the Drovers were [8 – 3] overall and had an SAC record of [2 – 1]. Aminah Orozco, Lady Rams head volleyball coach, said this Drovers squad looked improved since last season. 

“This was a better team in general, in USAO,” Orozco said. “They’re a lot bigger, faster; in our gym we had to stay disciplined, no unforced errors.”

In convincing fashion, the Lady Rams sealed the first two sets against the Drovers. Set 3 was chaotic. Every point, every kill went back and forth with luck seemingly on nobody’s side. Hanna Rubis, junior middle, said the team lost the edge they found in the first two sets. 

“We lost momentum for a second,” Rubis said. “We gave them a lot of points; we made a lot of errors, out of character things. We had to fight and earn everything in order to win.” 

Orozco said the ladies needed to stay focused to overcome the errors in set 3. 

“I told them to re-lock in and focus on our side, one touch at a time,” Orozco said. “[The team] was struggling with a lot of chaos and needed a slow game and to play the game in our system. Trust in our system and playing clean and precise is going to win that game.” 

The Lady Rams refocused and won set 3 to sweep the Drovers at home. Rubis finished the game with nine kills while Alexander finished with seven. Alexander said her performance was not perfect, but she was pleased with her offensive results. 

“My defense and back row could have been better,” Alexander said. “Overall, I am still proud of myself for my offensive being well.”

On Sept. 13 the Lady Rams defeated the Mid-American Christian University Evangels to bump their SAC record to [4 – 0] on the year. 

“It feels great,” Orozco said. “I think there’s a tie right now for first, so I am ready to get that win tomorrow.” 

The Lady Rams, along with Nelson University [4-0], sit atop the SAC standings. The two will compete at home in the Sid Richardson Gymnasium on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m..