ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Mississippi Christian split its opening two matches of the Reddie-Tiger Invitational on Friday, defeating Erskine 3-1 before falling to host Ouachita Baptist 3-0.
The Choctaws opened the day with a 25-16, 25-20, 25-27, 26-24 victory over Erskine before closing the day with a 25-22, 25-19, 25-20 loss to Ouachita Baptist.
Against Erskine, Mississippi Christian used a strong serving game and a late fourth-set comeback to secure the four-set victory. The Choctaws broke open the first set with a 9-0 run from a 6-6 tie, with Samarin Kipple serving through the final eight points of the stretch. Kipple recorded back-to-back aces during the run, while Cydney Mitchell supplied several kills before finishing the set with a kill from Reese Regner.
MC carried that momentum into the second set, using three service aces from Regner to build an early 7-3 lead. After Erskine tied the set at 7-7, the Choctaws regained control behind kills from Mitchell and Meg Paparella before Kipple served four straight points late in the set. Mitchell closed the frame with another kill to give MC a 2-0 lead.
Erskine answered by taking the third set 27-25, but the Choctaws saved their best finish for the fourth.
Trailing 24-20, Mississippi Christian won the final six points to complete the comeback. Rylie Widener served through the decisive stretch, with Mitchell and Mary Grace Foster providing kills before Widener finished the match with an ace.
Paparella led MC with 17 points, recording 14 kills and three aces. Mitchell added a team-high 15 kills while hitting .560. Regner finished with 21 assists and five aces, while Kipple collected 15 digs, seven assists and four aces.
Mississippi Christian then faced Ouachita Baptist in its second match of the day.
The Choctaws recorded 36 kills, one more than Ouachita Baptist, but hit .135 and were aced eight times in the straight-set loss.
MC came closest in the opening set, rallying from a 24-17 deficit to score five consecutive points and pull within 24-22 before Ouachita Baptist closed the set. The Choctaws also made late pushes in the second and third sets, cutting a 20-12 second-set deficit to 20-17 and erasing a 20-15 third-set deficit to tie the final frame at 19-19.
Ouachita Baptist answered each push, taking the second set 25-19 and the third 25-20.
Mitchell led the Choctaws with eight kills while hitting .333 and added three block assists. Kipple posted a team-high 15 digs, while Paparella recorded six kills, 10 digs, four block assists and an ace. Mamie Fromdahl finished with 15 assists and seven digs.
Mississippi Christian continues play Saturday at 9 a.m. CT against Texas-Tyler at a neutral site in Arkadelphia.
