Crusaders Split with Centenary and Austin College

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas hosted a women's volleyball tri-match today with Centenary College and Austin College.  The Crusaders split on the day, defeating Centenary in straight sets and losing to Austin College 3-1.

Dallas vs Centenary (28-26, 25-19, 25-18)

It was back and forth in the early goings, with neither team quite able to establish themselves.  It took 14 rallies for the first two point lead of the game with the Crusaders taking an 8-6 lead, but the Ladies answered right back to take an 11-9 lead.

Deep into the set, it was still anybody's game, but the Crusaders were nursing a modest two-point cushion, their reward for nearly doubling the Ladies kill tally. But Centenary hit a four-point run for the second time in the set to reclaim the lead at 21-20, as both teams fought for that first set win. The Ladies had set point at 24-21, but it was the Crusaders this time who came roaring back with four straight points to go up 25-24.  It took five more rallies, but the Crusaders took set one 28-26.

Sets two and three were practically a formality for the Crusaders, who were simply dominant the rest of the way.  They made easy work of the Ladies, taking set two 25-19 and set three 25-18.  The Crusaders were firing on all cylinders, racking up 47 kills while hitting .242.  Dayjah Whyte led the way with 13 kills, with Cassie Dyoub right behind at 11 kills with a .348 hitting percentage.  Abby Medico notched 16 assists, and Ellise Anable led all players with 13 digs. 

Dallas vs Austin (25-16, 24-26, 18-25, 19-25)

The Roos were looking a bit more polished to start the match, coming off a dominant performance in set four of their game with Centenary immediately prior. But the Crusaders had the home support behind them, the home side of the stands filled to the brim with a rambunctious UD crowd.  After falling behind early, the Crusaders went on an 9-2 run to take an 11-6 lead, looking firmly in control.  

That lead only grew as the Crusaders took a comfortable 23-15 lead deep into set one.  They would take the first set 25-16.

The Crusaders held a narrow lead in the early stages of set two, but the Roos were hanging with them point for point.  The pendulum slowly, but surely swung in the Crusaders favor as they began to build their lead.  The Roos did not shy away from the challenge, staying within striking distance and even forcing a UD timeout with the Crusaders leading 17-13.  The Crusaders grasp on the game began to slip late in the set, the Roos pulling back to within one at 22-21.  The game was up for grabs, sitting all square at 24-24.  The Roos completed the comeback and finished off the set 26-24.

The Roos carried their momentum over into set three, maintaining a modest lead over the Crusaders midway through the set.  UD was having a difficult time finding their footing again, but managed to keep the Roos at arms length trailing 11-14.  The Crusaders were a shadow of themselves the rest of the way as Austin College steadily pulled away.  The Roos took set three 25-18.

Unfortunately, that trend continued in the fourth set, with Austin College looking very much the team in control.  The Roos led by as many as six points early in the set, but a string of errors let the Crusaders creep back to within two at 10-12.  That would be as close to leading as the Crusaders got for the remainder of the set.  The Roos re-established their lead and cruised to a 25-18 win in the set to take the match 3-1.

The Crusaders tallied 46 kills while hitting .118 as a team.  Cassie Dyoub led the team with 13 kills while also notching seven digs.  Abby Medico and Larissa Ramirez combined for 34 assists, and Ellise Anable once again led the team with 21 digs.

Up Next

Conference play continues next Friday, as the Crusaders will play three matches in two days.  They play Southwestern at 11:00 a.m. and Schreiner at 5:00 p.m. on Oct. 1.