TULSA, Okla. – Bethune-Cookman Volleyball went 1-1 on Friday with a win over Oral Roberts at the ORU Classic inside the Mabee Center on the campus of ORU. Bethune-Cookman downed the host Golden Eagles 3-1, but fell in the day's opening match to Tulsa by a 3-0 decision.
 
TULSA 3, B-CU 0
Jasmine Robinson led Bethune-Cookman with six kills Friday afternoon as Bethune-Cookman dropped a 3-0 decision to Tulsa in the opening match of the 2024 IRU Classic at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa took the match with scores of 25-16, 25-14 and 25-17.
 
Bethune-Cookman (1-3) led 6-3 in the first set behind a Jasmine Robinson service ace and a kill from junior transfer Tiyanna Preston – making her first-ever start for the Maroon and Gold. However, Tulsa (3-1) went on a 10-2 run with help from Arianna Mongare in both the kills and blocks column. In the end, Rachel Brown would add three kills of her own to go along with three from Mongare in the frame to capture the 25-16 set win for the Golden Hurricane.
 
The second set saw the Wildcats struggle hitting, accumulating just five kills along with five errors in the set. As for Tulsa, the Golden Hurricane registered a match-high eight service aces in the set, including three each from Lauren Eitler and libero Marta Pecalli, respectively.
 
For the match, Tulsa was led offensively by Brown and Eitler with seven kills apiece. Golden Hurricane setter Brayden Hipp tallied a double-double with 19 assists and 12 digs. Mongare led all players with six assisted blocks on the day. And it would be Pecalli service a match-high six aces for her side.
 
Bethune-Cookman was topped by Robinson with a team-best six kills. Freshman setter Nola Hemphill added 11 assists, while teammates Alisha Callender and Sydni Poston each led the Cats with nine digs, respectfully.
 
B-CU 3, ORU 1
Newcomers Tiyanna Preston and Amya Jennings combined for 20 kills, while teammate Elizabeth Phillips led all Bethune-Cookman performers with 14 kills to help lead the visiting Wildcats to a 3-1 win over Oral Roberts in the final game of Friday's action of the ORU Volleyball Classic at the Mabee Center. B-CU won the match on scores of 25-15, 23-25, 25-16, 25-22.
 
Bethune-Cookman (2-3) hit .281 as a team in the opening set, and held the host Golden Eagles to just (-.029) in the frame.
 
Niara Hightower, the 2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Preseason Blocker of the Year, opened the match with four kills in the first set. Elizabeth Phillips, a redshirt senior from Indianapolis, Indiana, turned in four kills as well with Bethune-Cookman grabbing the opening set win, 25-15.
 
Despite B-CU hitting .250 in the second set, Oral Roberts (0-5) erased an 18-15 deficit with a 10-5 run to close the set and grab the win. Trinity Freeman had the hot hand for the Golden Eagles, as she placed seven kills to go with two services aces. Natassia Baptiste chipped in with five kills for the hosts, allowing them to knot the match at 1-1 heading into the intermission between sets two and three.
 
The Wildcats would respond strong in the third set behind seven team blocks and holding the Golden Eagles to just (-.027) hitting – the second time in the match B-CU held ORU to a negative hitting percentage. Tiyanna Preston, a junior from Jonesboro, Georgia, supplied the Maroon and Gold with three kills in the set alongside Phillips with three more kills.
 
In the fourth set, Amya Jennings and Ariel Simmons registered three kills each en route to the 25-22 win for the Cats to close the set and match.
 
ORU would battle back from a 19-14 deficit to pull within 24-22, until Bethune-Cookman got a match-sealing kill from Phillips.
 
ORU was led on the evening by Freeman with a match-high 18 kills and five digs. Joining her in double-figures for kills was Baptiste with 10 kills.
 
Phillips topped the Wildcats with 14 kills, 11 digs and three blocks (assisted) to record her first double-double of the season. Preston and Jennings each tallied 10 kills to reach double-digits, with Jennings also adding 12 digs for her first collegiate double-double performance. Setters Nola Hemphill and Alisha Callender each posted 23 assists, while liberos Rylee Davis (13 digs) and Sydni Poston (10 digs) sparked the defensive efforts.
 
Bethune-Cookman concludes play at the ORU Volleyball Classic on Saturday at noon ET (11 a.m. CT) when facing off against Sam Houston State.
 
Follow Bethune-Cookman Volleyball on Twitter (@BCUVolleyball) and Instagram (@BCUVolleyball) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.