Volleyball goes 1-2 in Colorado tournament

0
1057

The University of Dallas volleyball team traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo. this past weeked to play in the Southern Collegiate Athletic College (SCAC) Crossover, hosted by Colorado College.

Dallas kicked off the weekend on Friday with a sweep of Centenary College of Louisiana. With competitive final scores of 25-21, 25-20 and 29-27, Dallas earned their second win against Centenary in the 2018 season, after beating them in September while playing at Southwestern University.

The Crusaders led the conference for the night in service aces, with five service points. Three players from Dallas had double digit kills: Elizabeth Smith, from Broken Arrow, Okla., with 20; Krystyn Pua, from Escondido, Calif., with 15; and Ellise Anable, from Phoenix, Ariz., with 12.

The Crusaders (15-10, 5-6 SCAC) continued the fight on Saturday, but fell in both games on the last day of the tournament. Dallas started out with a competitive back and forth against Southwestern University (11-10, 7-3 SCAC), with a better hitting average than the Pirates, .244 to .179, in set one. However, Dallas couldn’t hold the lead against the Pirates, and fell in three matches with scores of 25-22, 25-12 and 25-22.

“We came out with intensity,” said junior Merit Paramo, from Wasilla, AK. “That environment always helps because it keeps us excited and communicating with one another.. Our offense was successful when we were able to mix up our attacks so our opponent didn’t know what to expect.”

In their second game that afternoon, the Crusaders fell against Austin College (13-10, 5-4 SCAC) in four sets with scores of 19-25, 25-17, 17-25 and 17-25. While UD was only able to take one set from the Kangaroos, Dallas still had some notable statistics for the game. Anable tied her career-best 13 kills, while Dayjah Whyte, from Round Rock, Texas, also had 13 kills. Smith had 32 assists in the match, and Pua led the team with 17 digs.

“This is when the team needs to work our hardest so we can continue to excel,” Paramo said. “Our season goes quick, so it’s important we work in practice with full intensity. If we compete and challenge each other in practice, it’s only going to carry over to game time.”

Dallas will be celebrating Senior Night at their next home game on Tuesday, Oct. 16 against Arlington Baptist College. Before the game, seniors Sarah Hughes, from Fair Oaks, Calif., and Smith will be recognized in their last regular season match at the Maher Center. The match will begin at 6 p.m.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here