Crusaders fall a 2nd straight match to a top-10 nationally ranked team.
Crusaders fall a 2nd straight match to a top-10 nationally ranked team.

Crusaders Close Out Year with 3-0 Setback to No. 10 Trinity University

IRVING, Texas - The No. 4 seed University of Dallas volleyball team fell to No. 2 seed Trinity University 3-0 in the third place match in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) volleyball tournament 25-9, 25-17, 25-14. Trinity (25-6) is ranked No. 10 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).

The Crusaders (20-15) fell behind in the first set 8-1. A 3-0 Dallas run was capped off by two Isabel Garcia (San Antonio, Texas) aces. Emma Funk and Avery Tuggle led the Tigers with big kills throughout the set. Garcia and Abigail Porras (Phoenix, Ariz.) had key kills down the stretch, but it was not enough as Trinity took set one.

Set two was tied at 6 when Trinity grabbed two points with kills by Madeline McKay and Emily Ellis. A big kill by Garcia and a TU attack error tied the match once again at 8. UD lost the lead but fought back to tie the match at 10 and 11. A 3-0 run capped off by a Dayjah Whyte (Round Rock, Texas) kill put UD back in the lead. A 9-0 run for TU killed the Crusaders momentum as the set was pushed to 20-14 in favor of the Tigers. Whyte added kills late for four total in the set, but Trinity was able to hold the lead as they took a 2-0 set lead.

In the third set McKay had seven kills to lead the Tigers. Whyte and Anable pounded kills to tie the set at 5. A 8-0 Tigers run was led by three McKay kills. Whyte added a kill, but another run for the Tigers pushed the lead to 17-6. Whyte grabbed a few more kills down the stretch, but the Tigers offense seemed to be the difference in the end, as TU took the sweep.

The Crusaders offense was led by Whyte, who had nine kills. Sarah Hughes (Fair Oaks, Calif.) led UD with 14 digs, as Anable added 13. Elizabeth Smith (Broken Arrow, Okla.) produced 12 assists in the match.

The Tigers had four players reach double-digits in kills. Sarah Mullens, Katrina Lieberman, Avery Tuggle, and Annie Rose Leggett had 13, 12, 11, and 10 respectively. McKay led the Tigers with 12 kills.

UD finished 6-5 at home in 2018.

 Smith was named to the SCAC All-Tournament Team, which was announced immediately following the championship match later that afternoon.


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Dallas has concluded the 2018 season.