Glendale, Ariz.- After losing the first two sets, Arizona Christian used strong serving to mount a comeback and win the final three sets for the victory on Friday evening.  The Firestorm pounded out 16 service aces against the Oaks.

Match Info

• Match scores: Arizona Christian - 3, Menlo - 2
  • Set 1: MC 25-22
  • Set 2: MC 25-21
  • Set 3: ACU 25-18
  • Set 4: ACU 25-16
  • Set 5: ACU 18-16
• Records: Arizona Christian - 9-11, 4-7 GSAC, Menlo - 4-12, 2-9 GSAC
• NAIA Top 25 Rank: Arizona Christian - not ranked, Menlo - not ranked
• Location: Firestorm Recreation Center, Arizona Christian University, Glendale, AZ

ACU Stats

• Annabelle Camoirano - 13 kills
• McKenzie Omoruyi - 9 kills
• Kaeleigh Gibson - 8 kills
• Delaney Frame - 7 kills
• Marina Samaniego - 22 assists, 11 digs, 2 service aces
• Hattey Smith - 17 assists, 4 service aces
• Alyssa Fierro - 25 digs, 4 service aces
• Emma Combes - 14 digs
• Jenna Mahon - 3 service aces

Inside Box Score

• After trailing by seven points a couple times in the first set, ACU fought back to forge three ties
• But ACU was never able to take a lead
• A service ace by Combes gave the Firestorm a 2-1 edge in the second set
• A back and forth set saw the Oaks break a 19-19 tie with a 6-2 run to close out the second frame
• Set three saw the first ten points result in a 5-5 tie
• The Firestorm broke away with a 7-0 run keyed by three kills from Camoirano
• Behind 8-5 in the fourth, kills from Frame and Omoruyi and an ace from Mahon sent ACU ahead in the set
• The final set was tied at 11-11, 12-12, 13-13, and 14-14
• A kill from Omoruyi gave ACU match point before MC scored the next two points for their own match point
• But two kills from Omoruyi sandwiched around an ace from Mahon gave ACU the win
• In a match where the difference in kills was just two, ACU went plus 12 in serving (aces versus errors)

Thoughts from Coach Briscoe

"Great to finish out on top of another five set grind of a match.  It was not our best play but our girls worked hard to pull off the reverse sweep.  Our servers started putting good pressure on them and we were very consistent in the back court with both serve receive and defense.  Kaeleigh came off the bench and brought the fire that we needed to turn things around in our match as well.  Excited to compete on homecoming tomorrow!"

Up Next

On Saturday, the Firestorm will host William Jessup at 3:00 pm as they welcome back alumni for Homecoming Weekend.