PREVIEW: Volleyball - Schreiner, Texas Lutheran (9/24) | No.5 Southwestern, Trinity (9/25)
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
(9/25 vs. Southwestern 10 a.m.)
SOCIAL MEDIA
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FIRST SERVE
The University of Dallas volleyball team (5-8, 0-3 SCAC) are back at Sherman, Texas, home of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) opponent Austin College for the third time this month. The Crusaders will not play Austin College however, as the first SCAC Cross-Divisional this fall takes place on September 24-25.
Dallas is slated to face Schreiner University at 10:30 a.m. and Texas Lutheran University at 3 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, the Crusaders face No. 5 Southwestern University at 10 a.m. and Trinity University at 2 p.m.
This is the first time UD will face these conference opponents in 2016 and are seeking its first league win on the year. It is a two-court weekend, with a free live video stream provided for matches in Hughey Gym. The Crusaders only play once on that court, which is against fifth ranked Southwestern on Sunday morning.
UD NOTES
- Jessie Koster (Sherwood, Ore.) has displayed impressive defensive numbers again at this juncture of the season. The libero leads NCAA Division III, SCAC, and is 2nd in United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) with 352 digs and 7.04 digs-per-set.
- Elizabeth Smith (Broken Arrow, Okla.) boasts 143 assists in past four contests. This included consecutive matches with personal bests of 45 and 46 last weekend in the Colorado College Divisional. The sophomore eclipsed 1,000 career assists in that span and now has 1,054 over 168 collegiate sets.
- Mairin Guilfoyle (Roanoke, Va.) leads the team with a 2.72 kills per set and has accumulated 136 for the team best. Mary Scholz (Fallon, Nev.). Diana Hassink (Tulsa, Okla.) rounds out the top trio of hitters with 93 kills. Both Guilfoyle and Hassink have recently strung team-long, four straight games of double figure numbers in kills.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
(SCHREINER UNIVERSITY)
The Mountaineers (3-9, 0-3 SCAC) are seeking first conference victory of the year. Schreiner prevailed on Tuesday versus Huston-Tillotson in four sets. That ended a stretch of six straight losses – all via set sweeps.
Schreiner is led by Mackinley Zimmerle with 82 kills. Kelsey Hamrick follows with 72 and Delanie Cauthen has 68. Ashley Myers has posted 294 assists and Nichole West anchors the defense with 158 digs.
Dallas is 6-15 in the all-time series against the Mountaineers. Last season, the teams went 1-1 against each other. In the first meeting, the Crusaders prevailed 3-1. Guilfoyle tied a game-high 15 kills and Koster made 32 digs. Smith produced 41 assists. In the programs most recent matchup, SU won in five sets at the Cross-Divisional hosted at Colorado College. Hassink made 12 kills and Guilfoyle added nine.
(TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY)
The Bulldogs (7-4, 1-2 SCAC) have fallen in the past two matches and 2-1 on neutral floors this season. The most recent setbacks were to Southwestern (3-0) and Trinity (3-1) in the SCAC Divisional hosted at Trinity last weekend.
Individual leaders begin with Kristin Fording running away with a team-high 136 kills. She is the lone player over the century mark in that column, with Mackenzie Zamarripa next highest with 73. Defensively Mathis Popelsky (195) and Fording (130) are top two in digs. Carlie Childres leads the middle with 32 block assists and 35 total blocks. Alexis Kurtz has 27 total and the Bulldogs have 124 overall.
Dallas is 4-6 overall against the Bulldogs and fell three times last season. The first meeting proved the closest as the Crusaders fell 3-2. Guilfoyle made 10 kills in that match while Hassink contributed eight. Koster had 34 digs and Hassink picked up 21. Smith had 30 assists.
(#5 SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY)
The undefeated Pirates (13-0, 3-0 SCAC) improved to the fifth spot in the American Coaches Volleyball Association (AVCA) Division III Coaches Poll. Southwestern did have a tough battle on Wednesday against non-conference foe, St. Thomas.
Southwestern is led by Kate Mitchell, who was SCAC Offensive Player of the Week, with 159 kills. Jamison Duck has chipped in 131 kills. The duo are averaging 3.53 and 2.91 kills per set, respectively. Nikki Welch is one assist shy of the 500 plateau for the season.
In the all-time series, Dallas is 0-21 against the Pirates. Last season both meetings were completed in three sets. In the most recent matchup, Hassink and Guilfoyle led with eight and seven kills. Koster had 26 digs.
(TRINTIY UNIVERSITY)
The Tigers (8-3, 2-1 SCAC) won two in a row with the final pair of victories coming last weekend on their own floor in the SCAC divisional. Trinity has only played one neutral site match this fall and are 0-1 in such contests.
Kirby Smith paces the offense with 105 kills and is averaging 2.92. Both Jade Schoenberger and Madeline McKay have contributed 92 kills. The duo average 2.88 and 2.56 kills/set, respectively. Erika Edrington has 323 assists. The Tigers' middle blockers headline the defense for the Maroon with 128 blocks. This includes 118 block assists. Individually, seven players have amassed double-digit numbers led by Rebecca Hayes with 21 total and 19 block assists. A trio of players (Maggi Linker, Lauren Skrobarczyk, and Smith) are in second for block assists with 17 apiece.
Dallas stunned the Tigers last season in San Antonio, Texas, to capture the program's first win in 10 meetings with the Maroon and White. UD would fall later that season to bring the overall series record to 1-10. In the home upset, the Crusaders clawed two early set victories out decided by five points combined. The deciding frame was resolved in 16-14 fashion. Guilfoyle was second on the team with 13 kills. Koster and Hassink added 29 and 24 digs, respectively.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
With the first look of conference play complete, Dallas is at a Tri-Competition hosted at LeTourneau University on Sept. 29. Dallas faces University of Texas at Tyler for the third time this month at 5 p.m. and then the host team at 7 p.m.