Volleyball edges Arlington Baptist for 3rd Straight Win
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas volleyball team (10-13) won its 10th game of the season and third straight after edging Arlington Baptist College (10-10) in four sets on Thursday night. The Crusaders won the season series, taking one at each venue, and remain unbeaten against the cross-town opponent 14-0. This series was a little less dramatic than the five-set win in the season opener.
SET SCORES: W 3-1 | (16-25, 21-25, 25-17, 17-25)
HOW IT HAPPENED
After both teams traded points to start the night, it was the Crusaders that rattled off eight straight points and eventually would notch a double figure lead 16-6 in the first set. A kill from Sarah Hughes (Fair Oaks, Calif.) lifted UD by that mark. The home squad smashed 19 of 60 kills in the opening frame. 13 of the final 14 points that set came from Dallas kills.
In the second set, the Patriots tallied the first two points, but consecutive scores nipped the early advantage. Neither side got much momentum until the Crusaders surged on a 9-0 run and went up by nine points (17-8). Five miscues in a row started the streak, but three of the last four came on respective kills from Hughes, Merit Paramo (Wasilla, Alaska), and Mary Scholz (Fallon, Nev.). Jessie Koster (Sherwood, Ore.) secured the 2-0 lead with a service ace to cap the 17-13 scoring swing as ABC narrowed the gap to as close as a pair (23-21) near the end.
The road team did clinch the next set and prevented Dallas from sweeping the match. The final was 25-17.
UD flipped the score in the fourth set and closed out its third win on the four-game home stand in the Maher Center. Dallas got on the board first with an ace from Koster. A kill by Paramo and two attack errors pushed the score to 4-1. The margin steadily creeped to five in favor of the Navy and White, and eventually a string of four straight moved the advantage to 16-8. A service error by Arlington Baptist turned possession to Scholz. The outside hitter started a trio of kills in a row with Hughes and Diana Hassink (Tulsa, Okla.) chipping in on the rally. Six of the final eight points were awarded to UD, with Hassink slamming the final hit after a set by Mary Goodykoontz (Chandler, Ariz.).
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Scholz led a trio of double-digit performances by the Crusaders with 15 kills. That mark ties her second highest this season and is the third straight game to break the 10-kill plateau.
- Hughes broke double figures in kills for the first time in her career, landing her a personal best 12. Hassink rounded out the group with 12 as well.
- The trio of players also recorded double-doubles in digs with Hughes and Hassink each posting 13. Hassink claimed her 1,000th career dig tonight.
- Headlining the digs category was Koster with 31. She was one assist shy of a double-double, while Elizabeth Smith (Broke Arrow, Okla.) did clinch the final one on the night with 40 assists and 17 digs.
- Paramo tied a season-high seven kills as well.
- The team hit a .264 kill percentage in the first set and broke the century mark in total digs (106) for the seventh time this campaign.
- Arlington Baptist had two players in double-digits for kills with Jayzhia Softly (14) and Mattie Smith (10) leading the guests. Madison Wilcher led all players with 32 digs.
- Jamie Gibson and Hali Myers shared the setter duties with 37 of the 40 assists credited to them. Gibson led with 20 and Myers added 17.
UP NEXT
Dallas flies to Lexington, Virginia, to prepare for two matches on Saturday in out of conference action. The Crusaders will play a neutral site against Randolph College at 12:30 p.m. (CST). The day concludes with host school Washington and Lee University at 3 p.m. (CST).