Volleyball splits in conference tournament

0
1218

It was a busy week for the Crusaders as they played five other schools and began their conference schedule. On Tuesday, the University of Dallas volleyball team headed to Arlington to face off against Arlington Baptist University (4-8). Dallas defeated the Patriots in a four-set match with scores of 25-16, 28-26, 21-25, and 25-11.

UD had a season high of 61 offensive kills for the night. Many notable players contributed to Dallas’ victory. Ellise Anable from Phoenix, Ariz. and Isabel Garcia from San Antonio, Texas, both freshman, had 13 kills apiece. Freshman Dayjah Whyte from Round Rock, Texas contributed 11, while freshman Abigail Porras from El Paso, Texas had 10. Freshman Anna Stevenson from Dallas, Texas also had 11 kills, giving her double digits for the first time this season. This is the first time since 2004 that the UD volleyball team has had five offensive hitters, all freshmen, and reached double digit kills.

“It is impressive to have those stats in kills since 2004, but it is also a team effort,” said Head Coach Kelli Trautmann. “It all starts from a pass and a setter deciding when and who to set to [to] bring success for the team. It is neat to see the volleyball team seeing success this year and [we] hope to continue doing so.”

On Saturday, the Crusaders traveled to Georgetown, Texas to play in their first conference matches of the season. Dallas kicked off the cross-divisional tournament, hosted at Southwestern University, with an impressive sweep against Austin College (7-6). This was Dallas’ seventh consecutive win this season, as they defeated the Kangaroos in three sets with scores of 25-22, 25-19, and 26-24. This is only the second time in UD history that the team has won the conference opener.

“The 7 game winning streak helps build that confidence and the belief they have in themselves and in their teammates,” said Trautmann. “We still need to continue working hard, pushing each other and staying focused because the season isn’t over yet.”

Saturday continued with The University Dallas against Colorado College (13-0). Dallas fell to the undefeated Tigers, ending the Crusader’s 7-game winning streak. The game ended in three sets with scores of 25-14, 25-18, and 25-7.

The action continued on Sunday when Dallas faced off against Southwestern University (7-5), the host team, and Centenary College of Louisiana (7-10). Dallas fell to the Pirates in four sets, with scores of 16-25, 26-24, 20-25, and 14-25. Dallas was able to bounce back in the afternoon and secure a win against Centenary College in four sets with scores of 25-13, 22-25, 25-7, and 25-16. Dallas had 68 defensive digs in the game.

“We came away with 2 wins and taking a set off Southwestern so it was a great conference start for UDVB,” said Trautmann. “I am excited to see how we progress. I enjoy the competition in this conference. We have a lot of talented teams and it’s anyone’s game. We are still very early in conference so we need to continue getting better and stay focused.”

The Crusaders’ split this week in the season’s first round of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) games brings their overall record to 9-5, and their conference record to 2-2.  Dallas will continue their conference schedule this week at home on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Sept. 29.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here