Crusaders Fall to No. 4 Colorado College; Sweep MUW to Finish Out Regular Season

Crusaders Fall to No. 4 Colorado College; Sweep MUW to Finish Out Regular Season

DENVER, Colo. - The University of Dallas volleyball team played two matches on day two of the tournament hosted at Johnson & Wales University. Dallas fell in the first match 3-0 to No. 4 Colorado College 25-19, 25-20, 25-20. The Crusaders (19-13, 7-9 SCAC) finished out the regular season with a 3-0 win over non-conference opponent Mississippi University for Women 25-21, 25-14, 25-22.

(Match against No. 4 Colorado College)

Dallas hung with the No. 4 team ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) foe Colorado College on Saturday. The first set was tied at 6. CC (29-2, 14-1 SCAC) went on a 3-0 run with a Margo Speathling kill and service ace. Dallas stuck right on the Tigers heels taking the match to a slim CC lead (18-14). Three-straight Tigers points looked to push CC to the set win, but a 4-0 UD run capped off by a Elizabeth Smith (Broken Arrow, Okla.) ace got the Crusaders right back in the match. (21-18). CC took four of the last five points to take the set win.

UD started set two on a 7-3 run out of the gates. Six-straight points for CC erased the Crusaders lead and shifted the momentum to the Tigers. This run did not kill the Crusaders spirits as they were able to get the set tied at 11 and again at 15. CC took six of the next seven points (21-16) to open up a considerable lead. Three Tigers errors allowed Dallas to inch closer (21-19). CC finished the set off strong once again taking four of the last five points to take a 2-0 set lead.

The Crusaders jumped out to a lead again in the third set (10-5). CC took 11 of the next 14 points to grab the lead (16-13). Dallas stayed close down the stretch and was within two (21-19) but once again the Tigers took four of the final five points to secure the sweep.

Dallas was led by Abigail Porras (El Paso, Texas) who had 11 kills. Isabel Garcia (San Antonio, Texas) followed her teammate with seven kills. Krystyn Pua (Escondido Calif.) led the defense with six digs. Smith dished out 19 assists. Dallas had a season-best 14 block assists in the match. The Crusaders also outdid the top-five ranked opponent 14-2. Jordyn Fields (Thornton, Colo.) and Garcia both had four blocks, followed by Anna Stevenson (Dallas, Texas) who added 3.

Myca Steffey-Bean and Laney Swan led the Tigers with nine kills. Lizzy Counts contributed 31 assists to lead CC.

With 19 assists in this match, Elizabeth Smith passed Scarlett Walls for third all-time in career assists at UD. She now sits at 2,709 assists. 

(Match against Mississippi University for Women)

Dallas finished off the regular season with a straight-set sweep over Mississippi University for Women (4-22). Dallas had a 8-7 lead. The Owls went on a 3-0 run capped off by a Sadie Mitchell ace. Dallas came back with a large run taking 11 of the next 12 points (19-11). The Owls then took eight of the next 10 points to get close. Down the stretch Dallas got big kills by Porras and Stevenson to withhold the Owls attack to take set one.

With set two tied at 5, a 6-0 Crusaders run opened up a marginal lead with Brook Jefferson (Pearland, Texas) at the serve. Dallas cruised with the early momentum to take set two.

Set three was again very tight. MUW had a 13-11 lead, until Dallas found their first lead of the set with a 5-0 run. Lexi Shafer (Sugar Land, Texas) held the serve for most of the run, adding two service aces. UD grabbed a 18-15 lead, but MUW gathered a 3-0 run to tie up the set. The set was tied again at 18, 20, and 21. Garcia pounded a kill to regain the lead for the Crusaders. Tori Weir added a kill for the Owls to tie the set at 22, but Dallas took the sweep with a 3-0 run to end the set. Stevenson and Kennedy Bradley (Groesbeck, Texas) added kills to secure the win.

Ellise Anable (Phoenix, Ariz.) had her sixth double-double on the season with 12 kills and 14 digs to lead the Crusaders in both of those categories. Pua followed her teammate with 13 digs. Jefferson had a season-best three service aces to lead the Crusaders who produced eight aces. Fields had four block assists. The Crusaders again had a big day at the net with 12 block assists in the match.

Megan Parks led the Owls with 11 digs, while her teammate Haley McMurphey had 10. Cicely Goldhorn led the MUW offense with seven kills.


SOCIAL MEDIA


UP NEXT

Dallas currently sits in fourth place in the SCAC. They will await the final results of the SCAC Crossover Tournament in Shreveport. Dallas, Austin College, Centenary College, and Texas Lutheran University are all vying for the final three seeds in the tournament which will be held at Dallas next weekend November 2-4.