Volleyball splits Day 1 of Hosted SCAC Divisional
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas volleyball team (8-13, 3-6 SCAC) split two matches on Saturday in its hosted SCAC divisional. In the home opener of 2016, the Crusaders were swept by No. 8 Colorado College (16-3, 7-2 SCAC) before ending a five-game losing streak with a win over Centenary College (3-17, 2-7 SCAC) in the nightcap. All three of UD's conference victories have been set sweeps.
MATCH VS. #8 COLORADO COLLEGE
Set Scores: L 3-0 | (21-25, 14-25, 15-25)
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first set, Dallas countered the Tigers' first point with two of its own for an early lead. That was the only time the home side was ahead until a service ace by Mary Scholz (Fallon, Nev.) lifted the Crusaders up 17-16. That result had capped a 7-1 run for UD including the final three points in a row during that stretch. Colorado College countered with a trio of unanswered points to go back in front and held the Navy and White from narrowing no more than a point over the next seven plays (22-21). CC concluded the first set with the final three scores including two kills by Marguerite Spaethlin.
The next two sets demonstrated the top 10 Tigers were too much for Dallas. Near the end of the final set, the Crusaders surged with six of the final nine points credited on their side of the scoreboard. That momentum carried into the next game.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Dallas hit a .239 kill percentage in the first set.
- Mairin Guilfoyle (Roanoke, Va.) posted a team-high 11 kill, while Diana Hassink (Tulsa, Okla.) followed with nine.
- Jessie Koster (Sherwood, Okla.) made 22 digs and Hassink just missed a double-double as she accumulated 17 digs. The tandem covered 39 of the team's 53 total digs.
- Elizabeth Smith (Broke Arrow, Okla.) had 21 assists and Merit Paramo (Wasilla, Alaska) converted half of UD's six block assists for a team most.
- The Tigers hit over .300 in kill percentage during the first (.341) and second (.371) sets. Individuals combined for a .306 mark in the contest.
- Abbe Holze notched a game-high 12 kills and recorded a double-double with 17 digs.
- Spaethling produced eight kills while Keli Sherwood (7) and Glenna Ynacey (6) were just behind.
- Lizzy Counts registered 38 assists.
MATCH VS. CENTENARY COLLEGE
Set Scores: W 3-0 | (22-25, 21-25, 21-25)
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the second game, the Crusaders scored the first two points and then moved to a 5-2 edge with three more points in a row after Centenary had knotted the match 2-all. The Ladies nipped the gap to 5-4, but seven straight points for the home team ballooned the advantage to 12-4. Centenary chipped away eventually cutting the margin to one (15-14), which included a spurt of five unanswered. UD's Mary Scholz (Fallon, Nev.) snuffed the rally with a kill and after trading points, the Crusaders got a trio of Guilfoyle kills to push the edge to 19-15. The Maroon and White battled to keep within a point or two down the stretch, but UD prevailed with the final pair of points in the frame, including a kill by Scholz to punctuate the clincher.
The middle set saw the Crusaders jump to an early 6-2 lead, but that was the largest either team was ahead in a set that featured 13 ties and four lead changes. Centenary swung the momentum with seven-of-nine points to gain its first advantage of the frame 8-7. Both squads traded points throughout the remainder until a Guilfoyle kill launched UD in front for good 20-19. The home team erupted for six of the final eight points to stake a 2-0 edge in the match.
Another tight early showing was displayed in the third set, with Centenary grabbing the momentum with a 7-1 run to go up by four (8-4). Guilfoyle stopped that small run with a kill, but the Ladies took three of the next four to extend their largest lead of the contest by six (12-6). Dallas mustered an 8-0 run to go back in front with Hassink taking three kills, which included the go-ahead one. Smith also had a pair of kills in that span.
It was back-and-forth again with Centenary going on a 5-0 run to nip a three-point deficit and lead 20-19. Guilfoyle had made an attack error on that last point, but rebounded wit ha game-tying kill to spark the Crusaders on a 6-1 run to triumph for the fourth straight year in a row versus Centenary in the Maher Center.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-Two players for UD broke double figures in kills with Guilfoyle boasting a game-high of 15. Scholz contributed 12. Hassink added six and Paramo chipped in five.
- Koster anchored the defense with 29 digs while Hassink duplicated her previous match performance with 17. Allison Seager (Dallas, Texas) came off the bench with a season-high of nine.
- Smith logged 31 assists and Koster had five.
- Centenary was led offensively by Desiree Frey with 15 kills and notched a double-double with 10 digs. Marissa Sandoval had a team-high 18 digs and Hailey Lawson followed with 17.
- Allison Lazewski and Makenzie Shaw posted 16 and eight assists, respectively.
- UD outdid the Ladies 81-74 in digs and 44-33 in kills.
UP NEXT
Dallas concludes the divisional with Austin College on Sunday at 1 p.m.