Surprise, Ariz.- Arizona Christian returned to the court for their first ever countable non-fall action and play nearly the closest match possible with OUAZ.  Unfortunately, the Firestorm came up short 3-2 in the match with four sets decided by the minimum two points and one set by just three points.  Freshman Krysta Petersen delivered a match high 16 kills in the GSAC opener for both teams.

Match Info

• Match score: OUAZ - 3, Arizona Christian - 2
  • Set 1: ACU 25-23
  • Set 2: ACU 25-23
  • Set 3: OUAZ 28-26
  • Set 4: OUAZ 25-23
  • Set 5: OUAZ 15-12
• Records: Arizona Christian - 1-3, 0-1 GSAC, OUAZ - 2-1, 1-0 GSAC
• NAIA Top 25 Rank: Arizona Christian - not ranked, OUAZ - not ranked
• Location: Faith Arena, OUAZ, Surprise, AZ

ACU Stats For The Day

• Krysta Petersen - 16 kills, .433 hitting
• Tyler Gebhart - 13 kills
• Annabelle Camoirano - 10 kills
• Marina Samaniego - 30 assists, 20 digs, 5 aces
• Alyssa Fierro - 26 digs
• Emma Combes - 12 digs
• Hannah Alvarado - 11 digs
• Hattey Smith- 16 assists, 7 digs

Inside the Box Score

• An extremely close back and forth five set match featured 43 ties and 20 lead changes
• The opening set came down to 21-21 followed by a kill from Gebhart and an ace from Alvarado to move ACU in front
• Down 19-15 in the second, the Firestorm fought back for a 22-22 tie
• Petersen and Gebhart closed the set with kills on two of the last three points
• Set three saw ACU reach two match points but were turned away as OUAZ won four of the last five points
• The fourth set featured 13 ties with a final tie at 23-23 before the Spirit earned the last two points
• Behind as many as six points in the fifth, ACU came with two twice including 14-12 before the final OUAZ tally

Thoughts from Coach Briscoe

"We had opportunities to be in and out in three sets but did not capitalize on the opportunities we were given.  Even with many young athletes on the court our team is showing great maturity.  We had some outstanding performances throughout the evening, and we expect nothing less as we return tomorrow. Starting out our conference season with a five set match I think is truly indicative of what our team will be all season.  We are going to be a team that fights and is not going to back down."

Up Next

The same two teams will face-off for the second day in a row on Wednesday in Surprise at 6:00 pm.