Crusaders Split on Conference Opening Day

September 23, 2023

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas volleyball team began their conference campaign on Saturday, facing off against Centenary College and Austin College.  They defeated Centenary 3-1 and fell to Austin 3-1 to improve to 10-4 overall on the year.

The Crusaders were dominant in the first two sets against Centenary, hitting .324 with 16 kills in set one and .417 with 13 kills in set two.  They took both sets comfortably, 26-16 and 25-14, respectively.  Though they seemed to have a firm grip on the match, that grip slipped away from them in set three.

Dallas led by as many as eight points in set three, but allowed the Ladies to go on a 12-4 run to tie the set up at 22-22.  It was an anticlimactic end to the set, as the Crusaders handed Centenary two points on a pair of errors to force a fourth set.

The Crusaders never quite reached the same heights as the first two sets, but they battled back in set four to ensure there would be no fifth set.  Centenary lead by as many as six points, but Dallas went on a run of their own, outscoring Centenary 10-1 to take a 21-18 lead.  It was still anyone's game as the lead changed hands two more times, but the Crusaders were able to close out the set 25-23 to notch their 10th win of the season.

You couldn't have asked for amuch tighter battle than the Crusaders match against Austin College.  Dallas played some of therir best volleyball of the year to take set one 25-21, hitting .333 with 17 kills on just three errors.

The next two sets both went to extras.  In set two, neither team lead by more than four points.  Dallas trailed 23-19 and 24-21 in the set, but mananged to battle back and tie it up at 24-24 before coming up just short, as the Roos took set two 26-24.  Austin jumped out to an early lead in set three, going up 13-4 and were seemingly in full control of the match.  But Dallas put together a stellar 11-1 run to take a 15-14 lead, and from there it was truly anyone's game.

There were seven more lead changes, but it was Austin who finally managed to close out set three 30-28.

The Roos took all the momentum from winning set three into the fourth set and steamrolled past the Crusaders, leading 23-5 at one point.  The Crusaders made a game of it with a 6-1 run deep in the set, but the mountain was far too big to climb as Austin held on easily to win the set and the match.

Up Next

The Crusaders will head to Colorado College for their next conference weekend.  They will face Trinity and Schreiner on Saturday, Sept. 30.