Point Lookout, Mo. - After a 4-1 finish in the Lady Cat Fall Classic the previous weekend, the College of the Ozarks Lady Cats were set to open Sooner Athletic Conference play against the Stars of Oklahoma City University. With a large crowd on hand and the student body out in force, the Lady Cats were looking to start their SAC run with a win.

Kills by Bri Linehan, Abby Chadwell, and Bailey Chamberlain started the Lady Cat offense, but the Stars matched the Lady Cats point for point. The teams traded points in the early going and a 7-7 tie was the result. As the battle continued, a pair of OKCU errors gave the Lady Cats a 10-9 lead. Multiple ties and lead changes followed and kills by Bailey Chamberlain and Abby Chadwell put the Lady Cats in front again. OKCU continued to attack however, and a 17-15 lead for the Stars forced a Lady Cat timeout. The Stars continued to hold off the Lady Cat challenges, and they began to pull away out of the timeout. Trailing 21-16, the Lady Cats needed another timeout to regroup. A Stars service error out of the huddle was followed by a Brooklyn Crawford kill and the Lady Cats were bouncing back. Bailey Chamberlain and Brooklyn Crawford each slammed one home, but the Stars continued to answer. A long volley ensued, and the resulting Lady Cat point forces a Stars timeout with the score 23-21, OKCU. A Christa Duffel kill narrowed the gap, and an Emma McIntire kill kept the Lady Cats alive. A Duffel block tied the score, but an OKCU kill and a Lady Cat error gave set one to the visitors, 26-24.

Set two began with OKCU jumping on the board first and the Lady Cats needed to regain the momentum after a tough opening set. A pair of kills by Bri Linehan and one by Brooklyn Crawford kept the Lady Cats close, but they needed to string points together. OKCU had different ideas and answered the Lady Cat challenges. Kills by Emma McIntire and Christa Duffel were followed by an OKCU error, and the score was knotted at 10. The Stars responded and the Lady Cats were on the defensive once again. A Bri Linehan kill, a Stars error, and another Linehan kill cut the gap to 16-15 and the Lady Cats were picking up some momentum. Linehan pounded another home, and the Stars took a timeout to regroup. The Stars took the first two points out of the huddle before a Brooklyn Crawford block stopped the string. An Abby Chadwell kill and a Stars error gave the Lady Cats their first lead of the set and Emma McIntire drove one home to force and OKCU timeout. OKCU scored out of the timeout, but a Brooklyn Crawford kill sent the momentum back to the Lady Cats. Emma Godwin delivered an ace and Crawford slammed down another kill to inch the Lady Cats closer to the set win. The Stars put down a kill of their own and the Lady Cats took a timeout to prepare for the final stretch. An Emma McIntire kill bumped the score to 24-22 and a Stars error gave the set two win to the Lady Cats, 25-22.

The third set began the same as the previous one, with OKCU taking an early 5-0 lead. A Bailey Chamberlain kill put the Lady Cats on the board and a Stars error cut the gap to 5-2. OKCU responded and continued to apply pressure, pulling out to a 9-3 lead. Nothing seemed to go right for the Lady Cats and a timeout was necessary with the Stars leading 11-3. Another pair of Stars’ points came out of the huddle before a Linahan and Crawford block broke the string. The Stars continued to attack, and the Lady Cats needed to find an answer. A Christa Duffel kill cut the gap to 15-7, but the Lady Cats struggled to put together a run. Point by point the Stars continued to pull away and the Lady Cats took a timeout, trailing 20-9. OKCU added the next five points out of the timeout and took set three, 25-9.

The Lady Cats had work to do if they were going to force a fifth set. OKCU scored first in set four, but a Linehan and Chamberlain block quickly evened the score. OKCU continued to build on their momentum and took an early 4-2 lead. The Lady Cats were determined to battle back however, and an Emma McIntire kill gave the Lady Cats some life. The Lady Cats continued to chip away, and a Christa Duffel kill knotted the score 6-6. The Stars continued to apply pressure and the Lady Cats struggled to put together a solid run. An Abby Chadwell kill cut the gap to 10-8 and the Lady Cats were hanging close. A Kill by Bri Linehan was followed by a Mica Chadwell ace and the Lady Cats had pulled even. A Stars error gave the Lady Cats their first lead and OKCU took a timeout. OKCU answered out of the huddle, but a Bri Linehan kill kept the lead on the side of the Lady Cats. The Stars turned it up again and went on a 5-1 run and the Lady Cats needed a timeout. Trailing 16-12, the Lady Cats needed to turn the tide in a hurry. Abby Chadwell delivered a kill to get things going and an Emma Godwin ace cut the gap to 16-14. The stars responded to the challenge and the Lady Cats needed to string points together. The Stars had different plans and they began to pull away. A 21-16 score forced another Lady Cat timeout, and things were not looking good for the home team. A pair of Stars errors gave the Lady Cats a glimmer of hope, but it was short-lived. The Stars finished of the set 25-20 and took the match 3-1.

Brooklyn Crawford led the offensive attack with 10 kills, Bri Linehan tacked on nine, and Christa Duffel added eight. Maddie Michell set up 22 assists and Kamryn Link added 15 while Mica Chadwell anchored the back row with 33 digs.

The Lady Cats had a quick turnaround and hosted Southwestern Christian University on Saturday.