Tulsa (7-2) defeated Abilene Christian (4-7) in straight sets Friday on the road at ACU's Moody Coliseum, securing a 3-0 victory with scores of 31-29, 25-21, and 25-19.
The first set was a back-and-forth battle, ultimately culminating in a narrow 31-29 victory for Tulsa. The Wildcats took an early 2-0 lead with a ball-handling error and an attack error from Brayden Hipp. The Golden Hurricane responded with a series of strong plays, including multiple kills from Kat Cooper and Lauren Eitler, leveling the score at several intervals. Abilene Christian's Aubrey Beaver and Hannah Gonzalez also made significant contributions, but consecutive attack errors by Beaver at the end allowed Tulsa to secure the win. Hipp's assists were instrumental throughout, facilitating many of Tulsa's key points.
In the second set, Tulsa emerged victorious with a 25-21 scoreline. The Wildcats began with an early lead at 9-4, capitalizing on the Golden Hurricane's service errors and attack errors. However, Tulsa responded steadily, with Beth Bayless leading the charge, securing multiple kills to narrow the deficit. A critical moment came when Lauren Patterson served back-to-back aces, shifting the momentum in favor of Tulsa and leveling the score at 18-18. Tulsa continued to capitalize on Abilene Christian's errors, ultimately closing the set with a 7-3 run, capped by a block from Eitler.
Tulsa started the third set by establishing an early lead, with Cooper and Bayless contributing kills to make it 2-0. The Wildcats quickly responded, tying the score at 3-3 with a service ace from Avery Thaler. The Golden Hurricane, however, regained momentum with a series of errors by ACU, including a ball-handling mistake by Beaver, extending their lead to 9-7. A significant turning point came when Tulsa went on a 7-0 scoring streak, characterized by Maegan Mills' three kills and two bad sets by Rachel Koss, pushing the score to 23-16. Abilene Christian attempted a late rally, but a final kill by Mills sealed the set for Tulsa at 25-19.
Looking ahead, Tulsa will return to the Donald W. Reynolds Center for the first time this season to host New Mexico State, Oral Roberts and Little Rock from September 19-20.