LAWTON – The Cameron University volleyball team visits Southern Nazarene on Tuesday night for a rare non-conference, mid-week battle.
Despite a strong showing on Saturday against DBU, the Aggies went 0-2 over the weekend to move to 1-15 overall and 0-6 in league play. They take a break from conference matches when they take on the Crimson Storm on Tuesday in Bethany, Okla.
IN-STATE RIVALRY
The Aggies and Crimson Storm have a storied history that stretches back to 1988. CU leads the battle 16-15, but SNU has controlled the series recently, winning four of the last five matches. The two programs met last on Oct. 29, 2019 in a five-set battle that saw 214 points scored in a Crimson Storm win.
Arianna Navarrete had 16 kills for CU in the loss.
A LOOK BACK
Cameron played two of their best sets early against DBU last Saturday, losing the first set 25-20 and then winning set two 29-27, their first set win since Sep. 18. In that second-set win, the Black and Gold hit .245 with 17 of their 42 kills in the frame. Ar. Navarrete led the way with 11 kills and had three aces, while
Natalia Araujo recorded eight kills and hit .238 for CU. She finished with nine points and
Bergen Campbell and
Jessica Lipkit each had seven.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE THREAT
Third-year player Ar. Navarrete recorded her second double-double of the season with 11 kills and 11 digs against the Lady Patriots last Saturday. The Tucson, Ariz. Native leads the team with 136 kills, 119 digs, 14 aces, and is third on the team with 23 total blocks this season. Ar. Navarrete has eclipsed 10+ kills seven times and 10+ digs four times, all coming in the last five matches.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN NAZARENE
The Crimson Storm enter their match with the Aggies with a 4-8 record overall and are 1-2 against Lone Star Conference opponents. They have also lost five straight, and just one of their wins have come at home in the Sawyer Center. On the attack, SNU is hitting .143 with an average of 11.3 kills and 10.6 digs per set. They also notch 1.3 service aces per frame and defensively, average 1.8 blocks per set. Freshman Whitney Bowie leads the team with 100 kills and a .227 hitting percentage, while 6-foot-3 sophomore Sunny Batschelett has 99 kills and a .135 attack clip. The Storm run a 6-2 with both Breckynn Myers and Kaley Brubaker both averaging over 4.5 assists per frame with six aces each from the setter position. Bailey Grimes leads the squad with 41 blocks and Bowie adds 39 rejections on the season.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Aggies are back at home this weekend when they host UT Tyler on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and A&M-Commerce on Saturday at 2 p.m. Friday's match will be the annual "Dig Pink" effort to raise awareness for breast cancer and Saturday is a First Responders/Medical Professionals Appreciation match.
