Crusaders Pick up 1st Win of Season; Split on Friday with St. Thomas
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas volleyball team picked up its first win of the 2021 spring season against Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) foe University of St. Thomas on Friday. Dallas (1-5, 1-5 SCAC) would take the first and third sets by the same score, and after missing the clinching fourth set by two points would score 10-of-13 points to claim the deciding set.
After just taking the first set in the nightcap by two, the Celts (5-1, 5-1 SCAC) came back to win three straight and earn the split at the Maher Center.
Match 1 (Set Scores: 19-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-23, 9-15)
Things were tight in the opening set until Dallas used a 5-1 run that included four straight points to get in front 18-13. Dayjah Whyte (Round Rock, Texas) posted three kills in the run. Dallas maintained a five-point spread until the Celts scored three-of-four points to nip the margin to 22-19. UD finished off the set for the early advantage.
Even at nine in the second set, St. Thomas rattled off six straight points to ignite a 12-2 scoring swing. UD rallied down 10 to pull within three (23-20), but a kill and service ace leveled the sets.
It was a slow start in the third as the Crusaders scored eight straight to overcome an early deficit and never trailed after going up 10-9. The conclusion of the surge was 13-9 on an Ellise Anable (Phoenix, Ariz.) ace. After allowing the score to reach 14-12, five straight UD points stretched the margin to 19-17 with Larissa Ramirez (San Antonio, Texas) on serve. The score got to 20-16 before Dallas etched five of the final seven points. Whyte came up on four of the points with a trio of kills and a solo block.
The fourth set saw St. Thomas gain a slight lead in crunch time with a 20-16 scored. Whyte scored a kill and was later with Ramirez on a block to give UD a one-point deficit (20-19). Abigail Porras (El Paso, Texas) knotted things at 20 with a kill on the next resulting point. Dallas would up one and eventually was in front 23-21. The Celts notched the next three points in a resilient effort to force a deciding match.
The home team was never behind in the fifth set. Porras started the frame with a kill and would answer a UST point with another to make it 2-1. Andriella Wagner (Round Rock, Texas) added a second point in a row with a kill of her own. The Celts knotted the score at six, and UD answered with five points in a row. Porras notched Dallas' four final kills in the match.
The team hit .429 in the clinching set with 10 kills, one error, and 21 total attempts.
Porras hit .341 with 18 kills, three errors, and 44 total attempts. Whyte had the most point with 19 due to her 14 kills and four digs and three blocks. Ramirez garnered a season-high 40 assists. Dallas held an 87-83 advantage in digs led by Chloe Illagan with 26.
Match 2 (Set Scores: 23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-21)
In the second outing, UD totaled 14 kills in five errors and 51 total attempts to grab the narrow lead. Dallas's biggest lead was four (24-20), and a service error concluded the suspense with the hosts up 25-23.
The Celts evened the scoreboard with a big lead in the second set.
St. Thomas in the third set withstood a four-point run that the Crusaders used to climb within one (20-19). The Celts scored five of the last six points to grab the 2-1 lead in sets and have the pendulum swing the Celts' way.
In the fourth set, Dallas rallied to a one-point deficit a couple of times that included 10-9, 12-11, 13-12, and 14-3. The Celts responded with three points in a row and to push ahead by five. UD scored four of the next six points to get the team within three (23-20). It was too much to overcome for the Crusaders, as the overall match resulted in a split on the day.
Anable and Whyte each tallied 11 kills, while Isabella Garcia (San Antonio, Texas) and Porras had six apiece. Ramirez claimed 26 assists and had a double-double for assists and the 10 digs. Ilagan had 18 digs to pace the team. UD outdid the Celts on with eight service errors. Wagner added three blocks.
Dallas is on the road next Saturday, March 20 at Trinity University for a 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. twinbill.