Volleyball Extends Win-Streak to 5 After Sweep Over Randall Saturday
IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas volleyball team went 2-0 in the UD Classic after sweeping Randall University on Saturday afternoon 25-17, 25-19, 25-18. Dallas now (6-3) on the season is on a five game winning streak.
The Crusaders had a trio of hitters have double-digit kills on the afternoon. Dayjah Whyte (Round Rock, Texas) led the team with a personal-best 15 kills and an impressive .750 kill percentage. Abigail Porras (El Paso, Texas) had 10 kills and added five digs on the day. Isabel Garcia (San Antonio, Texas) matched a season-high with 10 kills.
Lexi Shafer (Sugar Land, Texas) led the defense with 15 digs and a personal-best five aces – all coming in the opening set. Elizabeth Smith (Broken Arrow, Okla.) contributed 36 assists and seven digs in the match. Dallas hit .301 as a team and hammered 50 kills in the team win.
Dallas came out strong in set one with a 6-1 lead capped off by two aces from Shafer. The Saints took advantage of Crusader errors to chip away at the lead. The Saints stormed back to get within two points (13-11). Garcia and Ellise Anable (Phoenix, Ariz.) each had a kill along with three more Shafer aces to help the Crusaders spread the margin to 18-11. Dallas went on the win set one.
The Crusaders jumped out to a 9-3 lead in set two, but Charity Burdette had eight of her team-leading 11 kills in the second set for the Saints to keep them at arm's reach. Randall got within five points (16-11) midway, but Dallas went on to score four straight points to expand the lead. Randall tried to create momentum late in the set, but was never able to overcome the deficit in set two.
The Saints tied the game at three in set three. Dallas struggled in a back-and-forth set. Errors on both sides of the ball helped the opponent stay within reach of each other midway through the set. Whyte, who had six kills in the third set, managed a kill and an ace of her own to spread the lead for Dallas (16-10). Dallas never let Randall get within more than four points. The Crusaders finished off the set for their second sweep of the tournament.
The Crusaders have swept four of the five games on the streak. Dallas has not had a longer winning streak since 2014. The team won seven straight games in the '14 season.
SOCIAL MEDIA
"Goal of this game was to come out just as strong as we did in the first game yesterday." Listen to full postgame interview with McGuirk and #UDallasVB's Smith and Porras! #WeAreUD #d3vb pic.twitter.com/UGta9c6FGL
— UDallas Athletics (@UDallasSports) September 15, 2018
UP NEXT
Dallas will have a mid-week matchup on Tuesday as they travel to Arlington Baptist College. First serve begins at 6:00 p.m.