NORMAN, Oklahoma - The Northwestern State volleyball team took on a pair of strong opponents Saturday afternoon, falling in straight sets against host Oklahoma at 12:30 p.m. and Seton Hall at 4:30 p.m. in the final day of the NIKE Invitational.

 

Following the invitational, officials named outside hitter Reagan Rogers to the all-tournament team. The junior recorded 32 kills, 26 digs and five aces in three matches during the weekend.

Oklahoma 3, NSU 0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-21)
 
The Sooners (1-1) won the match in straight sets, but the Lady Demons refused to go quietly.
 
Outside hitting was the highlight of the match for NSU. Outside hitters Rogers (14 kills) and Alexis Warren (11 kills) combined for a .305 hitting percentage.
 
"It was really the opposite of yesterday's match where today the middles started to score for us which opened things up on the pin for our outsides," third-year head coach Sean Kiracofe said. "Lex (Warren) and Rea (Rogers) took advantage of those opportunities but owe a thanks to the middles for giving them those splits in the block."
 
In a match full of long rallies, Warren, who recorded her first double-double of the season, and libero Channing Burleson made spectacular digs to keep attacking chances alive. The two combined for 22 of NSU's 40 digs.
 
"Lex had a great all-around match," Kiracofe said. "The way OU was attacking, they took Channing out of the game a little and Lex did a good job with those extra looks."
 
Setter Kathryn Wristen had another 30-plus assist match, recording 31 of the Lady Demons' 35 assists.
 
Serving situations allowed Oklahoma to build the eventual leads in all three sets. The Sooners recorded nine aces while the Lady Demons produced nine service errors on the afternoon.
 
Playing in front of a national audience on Fox Sports, NSU made a positive impression.
 
Following a slow first set, the Lady Demons pushed Oklahoma to the brink in the final two sets, matching the Sooners shot-for-shot for the majority of the match.
 
"Oklahoma came out aggressive and focused," Kiracofe said. "It took a while for us to settle down, but we finally got there in sets two and three. The effort and fight were there again, but our execution with our serving and receiving wasn't there until the end of the match."
 
Seton Hall 3, NSU 0 (27-25, 25-21, 25-15)
 
Following a two and a half hour break, the Lady Demons returned to the court to compete for the final time at the NIKE Invitational.
 
Seton Hall (2-1), who beat the host school, Oklahoma, in the opening night of the tournament, fell to Colorado Saturday morning in a 3-0 sweep.
 
The Pirates started the opening set on a tear, but a kill by middle blocker Kourtney Seaton brought the deficit within two at 7-5.
 
The remainder of the first set continued with back-and-forth action. Eventually the Lady Demons built a 24-21 lead with three chances to secure the set.
 
Facing three set points, Seton Hall rallied and finally took the set 27-25.
 
In the second set, the Pirates built a quick 6-1 lead, but similarly to the rest of the tournament, the Lady Demons bounced back, tying the set at 10.
 
The set remained tightly contested until the waning moments of the set when the Seton Hall extended a 20-18 lead to a 25-21 win.
 
Entering the third set, the Pirates built another quick lead. Unlike the second set, NSU had no answer, culminating with a 25-15 finish.

"I was disappointed with how we ended the match versus Seton Hall, but happy with the weekend as a whole," Kiracofe said. "We played point for point with three very good teams and had individuals put up great numbers against two power 5 programs."
 
The Lady Demons return to action Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. when they will take on Alcorn State (0-3) on the road.  
 
Follow updates all season on Twitter @NSUdemonsVB.