Volleyball splits Friday's games in the ASICS Invite
(Photo courtesy of Danny Reise)
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The University of Dallas volleyball team (2-1) split both matches during day one of the ASICS Invite, by defeating Rhodes College 3-0, and dropping the nightcap to No. 9 Washington University 3-0. Dallas won its second-straight contest and first on the road, before the host institution provided the first setback.
MATCH ONE: Rhodes College (1-2) vs. University of Dallas (2-0)
Dallas would win the sets: 25-20, 25-13, 25-17 over the Lynx on the first of two matches on Friday night. It was the second time this year the Lady Crusaders managed to go 3-0 in triumph over their opponents.
The opening set saw both squads trading points throughout with neither gaining much momentum. A kill by junior Mairin Guilfoyle (Roanoke, Va.) lifted UD ahead 14-13 at the time and the home team in this neutral site match-up would never relinquish the edge from that point. Despite Rhodes closing within one a few occasions, the Lady Crusaders ended the set on a 7-3 run.
In the middle set, Dallas finished with its largest margin of victory on the evening; which began on an 8-1 scoring stretch. The Lady Crusaders would push out to a double-digit advantage for the first time at the 14-4 juncture of the frame. RC would boast its best run in the second set by scoring six of the next seven points to nip the deficit under 10 just briefly. Both teams were credited with 24 digs apiece in that set.
UD captured the victory by utilizing a 7-0 run to cut a three-point deficit (6-3) at the time and never fell behind after that lead change. The greatest margin in the final set was nine, when Dallas was ahead 21-12, but Rhodes strung together a trio of kills on attacks to keep UD from cracking double figures twice in a row in the scoring column.
Guilfoyle broke double-digits and led all players with a game-high 13 kills. Senior Cat Dowgwillo (St. Louis, Mo.) contributed eight kills while senior Jaime Birzer (Ottawa, Kan.) and junior Lexi Noriega (Salinas, Calif.) added six a piece.
A trio of players for the Navy and White broke double figures in digs led by junior Jessie Koster (Sherwood, Ore.). The libero dug a season-high 25, with sophomore Diana Hassink (Tulsa, Okla.) and freshman Kaley Turner (Puyallup, Wash.) adding 13 and 11, respectively. The Dallas defensive totaled 68 digs compared to 64 by the Lynx.
Freshman Elizabeth Smith (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and Turner each produced 13 assists.
MATCH TWO: University of Dallas (2-1) vs. No. 9 Washington University (3-0)
Dallas fell in straight sets: 25-15, 25-13, 25-15 against the number nine ranked program in the nation on its home court at Washington University.
The first set for Dallas would be competitive throughout the first 26 scoring sequences. A narrow deficit of two points quickly expanded to six on five unanswered points. The scoring span would favor the Bears 9-1, as the margin moved to 10 (23-13). UD scored twice in a row, before consecutive points for the home team ended the set.
The remaining two sets saw the momentum on Washington University's side too much, and the Lady Crusaders would finish with their first setback in 2015. In the second set, Dallas did have the Bears knotted 7-7, but a lengthy run would uplift the top-ten ranked foe.
Guilfoyle paced the team for the third-straight match this young campaign with the most kills. Koster and Hassink logged double-digits in digs with 12 and 10, respectively. Turner managed 10 assists.
Jackie Nelligan racked up 12 kills and a .458 percentage on attacks to lead all participants for the Bears. Nkiru Udenze nearly eclipsed the double figure mark in kills with nine, but did surpass it with a game-high 15 digs. Allison Zastrow garnered 34 assists.
UP NEXT
Dallas concludes the ASICS Invite tomorrow with a pair of matchups. First tilt at 11:30 a.m. will be against UW-Oshkosh. The weekend ends early that afternoon versus Knox College at 1:30 p.m.