Mississippi Christian Volleyball Splits at Ouachita Baptist Invitational
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Mississippi Christian opened the Ouachita Baptist Invitational with a win and a loss on Friday. The team defeated Erskine 3-1 before falling to host Ouachita Baptist 3-0, according to the school.
In the opening match, Mississippi Christian took the first three sets, winning 25-16, 25-20, and 27-25 before dropping the fourth 26-24. The Choctaws used strong serving and a late-game comeback to secure the victory over Erskine. They scored nine consecutive points to break open the first set after a 6-6 tie, with Samarin Kipple serving through the final eight points of the run. Kipple also recorded back-to-back aces during that stretch. Cydney Mitchell contributed several kills, finishing the set with a kill from Reese Regner.
Mississippi Christian carried momentum into the second set, with three service aces from Regner helping build an early lead. After Erskine tied the set at 7-7, the Choctaws regained control behind kills from Mitchell and Meg Paparella, with Kipple serving four straight points late in the set. Mitchell closed the set with another kill, giving the team a 2-0 lead. Erskine responded by winning the third set 27-25, but the Choctaws rallied to win the fourth after trailing 24-20. Rylie Widener served through the final six points, with Mitchell and Mary Grace Foster providing kills and Widener finishing the match with an ace. Paparella led the team with 17 points, including 14 kills and three aces. Mitchell added 15 kills while hitting .560. Regner finished with 21 assists and five aces, and Kipple totaled 15 digs, seven assists, and four aces.
In the second match of the day, Mississippi Christian faced Ouachita Baptist. The Choctaws had 36 kills, one more than the Tigers, but hit just .135 and committed eight service errors in a straight-set loss. The closest set was the first, where Mississippi Christian rallied from a 24-17 deficit to score five consecutive points and narrow the gap to 24-22 before Ouachita Baptist closed it out. The team also made late pushes in the second and third sets, cutting deficits of 20-12 and 20-15 to 20-17 and 19-19, respectively. Ouachita Baptist responded each time, winning the second set 25-19 and the third 25-20.
Mitchell led the Choctaws with eight kills, hitting .333, and added three block assists. Kipple posted a team-high 15 digs, while Paparella contributed six kills, 10 digs, four block assists, and an ace. Mamie Fromdahl finished with 15 assists and seven digs. Mississippi Christian continues play Saturday at 9 a.m. CT against Texas-Tyler at a neutral site in Arkadelphia.
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