Volleyball begins SCAC Action 1-1 on Saturday; Finale on Sunday at Centenary College

SHREVEPORT, La. – The University of Dallas volleyball team (6-6, 1-1 SCAC) split two matches in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) opening weekend hosted by Centenary College of Louisiana on Saturday.

Dallas began league action with a 3-0 setback to Austin College, and would sweep Centenary in the evening contest to go 1-1 on the day.

The Lady Crusaders would fall 25-19, 25-21, and 25-23 to Austin that morning in the sets. AC opened its largest advantage in the first set with an eight point edge (20-12), before Dallas countered with three points in a row. Another four-point run brought UD within a 23-19 deficit, but would not be enough.

In the second set, the Lady Crusaders were behind three early and trailed most of the frame until a 4-0 spurt with the scoreboard displaying 14-10 at the time, knotted things for the first time in the middle set. Dallas forced three more ties that round: 16-all, 17-all, and 18-all, but could not overcome the Roos' offense.

The last set would feature another close battle between the squads that came down to a 23-23 point total on the board. AC benefited from a pair of attack airs by the Navy and White, and secured the first conference victory.

In the latter match on Saturday, the Lady Crusaders met against host institution, Centenary College, and were able to generate a sweep: 25-17, 25-22, and 25-15.

After falling behind in the opening set by as many as four (5-9), Dallas nipped the margin and claimed its first edge since earning the opening tilt point with 6-1 run. Both squads countered back with 5 unanswered points, with UD boasting the last run to go up 16-15. From that point, the visitors closed the set on an 8-1 stretch. Junior Mairin Guilfoyle (Roanoke, Va.) served two aces' in two of the final three points in that final span.

The second set was the closest of the trio of sets in the game for these teams. Neither could sustain momentum, as the Ladies kept Dallas within no more than two points in this one. There were also 12 ties in the frame. The Lady Crusaders shifted things their way on a kill by Guilfoyle to push a three-point edge (22-19). After that Dallas kept the Maroon and White at bay with a 3-3 exchange. UD etched the final two in the set.

The remaining set was the largest margin in the point column for Dallas in either of its matches. UD led by double figures for the first time (15-5) and would finish the third set by that difference. The greatest advantage for the Lady Crusaders was 12 at any point in the round.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE VS. AUSTIN COLLEGE (8-2, 1-1 SCAC)

• Dallas got outdone narrowly on kills 42-40, digs 61-60, and posted a .119 kill percentage. 
• Junior Lexi Noriega (Salinas, Calif.) led the Lady Crusaders with nine kills. Senior Jaime Birzer (Ottawa, Kan.) contributed eight right behind, and sophomore Diana Hassink (Tulsa, Okla.) and Guilfoyle added seven each.
• Junior Jessie Koster (Sherwood, Ore.) paced Dallas with 22 digs, while Hassink collected 11.
• Freshman Elizabeth Smith (Broken Arrow, Okla.) had a team-high 20 assists. Fellow classmate Kaley Turner (Puyallup, Wash.) added 12.
• For Austin College, Presleigh Watson was the lone player to reach double-digit totals for kills with 10. Rachel Fusselman posted a game-high 26 digs. Madi McVay added 12. Splitting the majority of the 41 assists were Katie Ingie with 21 and Lauren Wulz with 15.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE VS. CENTENARY COLLEGE (3-9, 0-2 SCAC)

• Birzer was the team-leader in kills with 10, marking her fifth on the year, and fouth in the last six road matches. Senior Cat Dowgwillo (St. Louis, Mo.) followed with seven kills and Guilfoyle added six.
• UD was able to muster a season-high 12 service aces, led by Noriega's personal high with the Lady Crusaders of four. Guilfoyle produced three.
• Smith and junior Anna Fazio (Beaumont, Texas) tallied double-digits in assists with 15 and 12, respectively. Fazio's amount was a season-high.
• Birzer and Guilfoyle formed a solid middle wall which helped Dallas accumulate 10 blocks on the day. Eight block assists were credited, with four amassed by Birzer and three to Guilfoyle.
• Koster had a game-high 16 digs.
• Centenary was led on offense by Desiree Frey with eight kills. Lindsey Bruce added six. Amanda Farr and Hailey Lawson collected double-figures in digs with 14 and 11, respectively. Allison Lazewski garnered a team-high 17 assists.

UP NEXT

Dallas wraps up the conference opening weekend with a third match Sunday, September 20 at 11 a.m. Colorado College will be opposing the Lady Crusaders on the court.