@UDallasVball 3, Schreiner 0 | #UDCrusaders 3, Texas Lutheran 2
SEGUIN, Texas – The University of Dallas volleyball team (20-11, 7-6 SCAC) secured a 3-0 win over Schreiner (1-24, 1-11 SCAC) and 3-2 victory that edged Texas Lutheran University (17-11, 6-8) on day two of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Cross Divisional No. 4 on Sunday.
Dallas secures a fourth place ranking in the SCAC standings heading into the league tournament set to begin on November 7-9 in Sherman, Texas. The Lady Crusaders also tied last season's overall win total after picking up a pair of triumphs on Sunday.
Match 3: Dallas defeats Schreiner, 3-0:
It was a straight set victory for the navy and white in the early morning contest for Dallas over the Mountaineers. Sunday's sweep was the second time the Lady Crusaders posted the feat over Schreiner this campaign.
Things were pretty smooth for UD, as the team won each set by at least nine points: 25-15, 25-13, and 25-16.
In the opening set, the Crusaders were in a back-and-forth match, prior to them rattling a 6-0 run after trailing 13-11. Dallas outscored SU by a total 14-2 to claim the first round.
The set that reflected the largest deficit on the day, would actually favor the maroon and white, helping boast the team to a 5-1 advantage. That would be nipped immediately by the Crusaders, who regained control in the match pretty handily. A stretch of eight unanswered points doomed Schreiner and sent Dallas into the final set with plenty of confidence.
That was enough to give the team serving as home at the neutral site an enormous boost to end the match in a third, convincing set. Another lengthy run of points, this time eight in a row, would help aid an outstanding margin.
Senior middle blocker Emily Caples (Walnut Creek, Calif.) and sophomore outside hitter Mairin Guilfoyle (Roanoke, Va.) each posted team-highs in attacks resulting in kills with eight. Junior middle blocker Jaime Birzer (Ottawa, Kan.) contributed seven kills, while freshman outside hitter Mary Scholz (Fallon, Nev.) added six.
A trio of players notched double figures in digs with sophomore libero Jessie Koster (Sherwood, Ore.) boasting 15 to match a game-high. Guilfoyle collected a season-high 12, while Scholz closed out the unit with 10.
Senior setter C.J. Broadbent (Goodyear, Ariz.) was involved and active in the match, tallying 31 assists in the sweep.
Match 4: Dallas squeezes by Texas Lutheran, 3-2:
The Lady Crusaders improved to 2-2 in sets decided through all five rounds after coming behind to claim the last two sets against the host opponent. Final lines in scoring columns were: 22-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20, and 15-11.
In the opening set, things were competitive until Texas Lutheran poured a 5-0 stretch to erase a slight deficit and never trail the rest of the frame. Dallas narrowed the gap to three on a few occasions near the end of the first round, but never got closer falling 0-1.
The momentum shifted for the visiting squad in the second, as the navy and white posted nine points in a span of 11 sequences, which countered a six-straight scoring run by the Bulldogs. TLU responded with a fun to tie things at 13-13, but the Lady Crusaders evened the series outdoing their opponent 12-6 down the stretch.
It was back-and-forth in the third set for each program, with six lead changes throughout this round. Texas Lutheran took the final edge scoring the final two points after UD knotted things at 23-23, but could not complete the nail-biter.
The Bulldogs seemed in control with the first three unanswered scoring plays favoring the home squad. Dallas nipped away, eventually retaking the lead again at 13-12 off an attack error by TLU. An 8-2 run concluded the match and evened things 2-2 to send Dallas into its fourth set-deciding match.
The Lady Crusaders leaped to a 5-0 advantage, but Texas Lutheran remained undaunted pouring six unanswered scoring plays. Dallas never slipped focusing and battled deep to complete one of its more satisfying wins, which also tied a season total in 2013.
With the score tied at 11, the navy and white produced four-straight point with Guilfoyle smashing the final three points for Dallas, a pair via service aces.
Caples and Birzer tallied 14 kills apiece, matching a game-high as TLU provided a duo that reached double digits on shooting attempts. Anna Keeling and Kristin Fording each took the feat for the Bulldogs.
Junior right side hitter Cat Dowgwillo (St. Louis, Mo.) also had a great contest, landing in double-digits with 12 kills. Guilfoyles' big plays in the final set advanced her total to nine.
Scholz added seven goals and was one of five players to collect double figures on the defensive side with digs. She ranked third in the unit with 15.
Matching a season-high by pulling up 43 digs was Koster, while freshman defensive specialist Diana Hassink (Tulsa, Okla.) managed a career-best 19. Rounding out the unit was Scholz and Broadbent with 14 and 12, respectively.
Dallas notched its second highest amount of digs on the campaign with 125 on the afternoon.
Broadbent surpassed her previous season-high in assists, setting the new mark with 49 in the big win.
Next Opponent:
Dallas concludes the regular season on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at Arlington Baptist. The beginning tip is set for 6 p.m.