YEAR IN REVIEW: Volleyball
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas volleyball team finished the 2014-15 campaign with a 23-13 record and 8-6 mark in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). It's the second-straight season UD has posted a winning record and most victories since garnering a 26-11 display in 2010. The Lady Crusaders also doubled its highest win total since joining the league four years ago to help notch fourth in the standings. Dallas would top Texas Lutheran in the opening match of the SCAC Tournament before being swept in straight sets by No. 21 (at the time) Trinity University. The fall season concluded for the Navy and White the following day in a 3-1 setback versus Colorado College.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
- Senior C.J. Broadbent Led the SCAC and team with 9.38 assists per set. Boasted career-high 1206 sets overall.
- Junior Mairin Guilfoyle slotted second in conference with 0.43 service aces per set.
- Two players eclipsed 300 kills on the season as junior Jaime Birzer and senior Emily Caples tallied 335 and 307, respectively.
- A quartet of Lady Crusaders averaged at least 2.00 kills per game with Birzer leading unit at a 2.62 mark. Caples (2.40), Mairin (2.39), and sophomore Cat Dowgwillo (2.00) rounded the group out.
- Defensively sophomore Jessie Koster paced the team with 648 digs, as the squad totaled 2,487 and 19.43 per game.
- Birzer led the team with 84 blocks and 0.66 a contest, while Caples was right behind at 75 and 0.59-clips, respectively.
- Dallas went 7-1 at Maher Athletic Center this season.
- Longest winning streak for UD was seven-straight matches.
- After dropping the first four games, the Lady Crusaders would go 17-4 over the next 21 affairs. The final three matches of the regular season also resulted in the victory column.
- First year Head Coach Emily Holombek Holds the highest winning percentage with the Lady Crusaders volleyball program at a .639 mark.
- Rallied from behind two sets to clinch 3-2 win against Austin College at Colorado College Neutral Site Divisional No. 3.
- Garnered 14 triumphs via 3-0 shutouts on opponents, including five facing SCAC opponents.
POSTSEASON ACCOLADES
(From Conference and affiliated leagues)
- Birzer - 2014 All-SCAC Second Team
- Caples – 2014 All-SCAC Second Team
- Broadbent – 2014 All-SCAC Second Team
- Dowgwillo – 2014 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) All-Academic Team
- Koster – 2014 USCAA All-Academic Team
- Seager – 2014 USCAA All-Academic Team
Full List of Postseason Awards
VOLLEYBALL 2014 RECORDS
- Koster: Set career record in digs per game with a 5.19-clip. (Ranked second in SCAC)
- Caples: Produced 271 career block assists for historic mark.