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UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS ATHLETICS
Crusaders Volleyball Defeats Centenary in 5 Sets to Highlight Senior Night
Posted: Oct 19, 2019

Crusaders Volleyball Defeats Centenary in 5 Sets to Highlight Senior Night

Photos Photos Photos Video Box Score Box Score
Game Leaders
No. 6 Colorado College
K: Haley Harris - 18
B: Emma Hewlin - 3
D: Anna Gurolnick - 19
SA: 2 Players (#4, #14) - 2
University of Dallas
K: Abigail Porras - 7
B: 2 Players (#18, #19) - 2
D: Krystyn Pua - 17
SA: 2 Players (#6, #17) - 1
Team Stats
Full stats
Game Leaders
Centenary College of Louisiana
K: Alyssa Davis - 20
B: Lauren Kelley - 3
D: Marissa Sandoval - 35
SA: 2 Players (#5, #17) - 2
University of Dallas
K: Dayjah Whyte - 21
B: Dayjah Whyte - 2
D: Ellise Anable - 21
SA: Abigail Porras - 3
Team Stats
Full stats

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas volleyball team finished the regular season at the Maher Center on Saturday night with a 1-1 split on the day. After a setback to No. 6 Colorado College in the afternoon, the Crusaders battled back-and-forth with Centenary College as three-of-five sets were determined by three points or less. The Crusaders (13-16, 6-7 SCAC) picked up the crucial victory to keep pace in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) standings for a remaining spot in the tournament in three weeks.

Following the win Dallas honored a quartet of seniors: Kennedy Bradley, Stephanie Janysek, Merit Paramo, and Krystyn Pua for their four years of dedication to the program. Each received a strong ovation playing throughout the matches on Saturday and added contributions in the late triumph.

MATCH 1 VS. COLORADO COLLEGE

Scores

Set 1: 25-17

Set 2: 25-19

Set 3: 25-14

The sixth ranked Tigers had too much offense, as they hit .325 overall compared to just .090 for Dallas. The Crusaders did not eclipse double figures for kills in a single set, while CC posted their lowest total in the opening frame with 16.

After falling behind 9-3 early on, the Crusaders struck for five of the next seven points to make it a two-point deficit. Down 13-10, the Tigers put the set out of reach with the next four points and eventually a 12-7 run.

The second set was the tightest one between the teams, as UD trailed by two points or less through the first 26 serves. Colorado College took advantage of a service error and registered kills from Lizzy Counts and Haley Harris to go up 17-12. Dallas answered back with two more points but could not get any closer than three points away the remainder of the frame.

The Tigers hit .545 thanks to 19 kills and one attack error in the third set to help remain unbeaten in league play.

Abigail Porras (El Paso, Texas) led the Crusaders with seven kills, while Dayjah Whyte (Round Rock, Texas) posted five. Krystyn Pua (Escondido, Calif.) led the team with 17 digs. Larissa Ramirez (San Antonio, Texas) and Janysek shared setting duties with 13 and seven assists, respectively.

Harris dominated on the attack with 18 kills, three errors, and 33 total attacks for a .455 kill percentage. She notched a double-double with 10 digs. Jordan Mullen also garnered a double-double with 14 kills and 12 digs. Anna Gurolnick led the team with 19 digs and Counts posted 31 assists. Libby Lazzara set 11 assists off the bench.

MATCH 2 VS. CENTENARY COLLEGE

Scores

Set 1: 28-26

Set 2: 19-25

Set 3: 25-22

Set 4: 23-25

Set 5: 10-15

A highly contested match started right away with the Crusaders unable to put away a 24-20 lead with Centenary taking advantage of a couple errors before a Lauren Kelley service ace and block assist by Elizabeth Epley and Liz Lowe tied the score. Kelly put Centenary up with another ace that tipped off the netting to fall in for an opposition point. Whyte responded with a kill to keep UD alive. After the home team went up 26-25, the Ladies nabbed the last three points for an early set-lead.

That momentum carried into the second set with a 2-0 start for the Maroon and White, however Porras got a kill and went on serve to help Dallas produce the next six points. This scoring span included a pair of aces from the sophomore. Scoring spurts by both sides led to each side recovering from deficits. Stevenson put down back-to-back kills to help a 4-0 run lift UD up 17-16. Isabel Garcia (San Antonio, Texas) had the game-tying kill and Ramirez served an ace. Centenary called a timeout and got the next two points to return in front, but a service error tied things at 18 and put Porras on serve. She orchestrated another huge run with five points that were part of a 6-0 run. Dallas concluded the set with eight-of-nine points.

As was the case in the first pair of sets, the squads competed back-and-forth to the late points of the set. The Crusaders grabbed a 22-21 lead from Whyte putting down a kill, but errors on the next two rallies gave Centenary the lead and kills by Epley and Alyssa Davis put the visitors on top 2-1. In the fourth set, Garcia put Dallas up 21-20 that was part of a 5-3 run after the team's had played to a 20-20 deadlock. Whyte and Ramirez served kills after Centenary answered, and then Garcia served an ace to make it 24-21. Two points by the Ladies kept the set alive for ending things in four sets like their previous meeting in Shreveport, but Whyte drilled the clinching kill to force the determining set.

Dallas scored four of the first five points and withstood the Ladies' answer to extend its advantage to 10-4. Since a kill by Olivia Dunn had made it 6-4, the Crusaders launched a 4-0 run and were up at least four points the remainder of the match. Both teams recorded eight kills, but the Crusaders had only two errors compared to six by Centenary.

A quintet of Crusaders reached double figures in kills led by Whyte with a season-best (1 shy of career-high) 21. Stevenson also reached a personal-high 15 kills to match Porras. Anable and Garcia rounded out the group with 11 and 10. Stevenson eclipsed double figures in kills for the third time on the campaign. Anable led the team in digs for the third match out of four this home stand with 21 and also had a double-double. Porras tossed in 17 digs for another double-double for the team and had a team-best three service aces. Ramirez garnered a personal-best 55 assists to go with 18 digs for the third double-double; though only one with that combination of categories.

Dallas boasted an 84.0 to 68.0 edge in points. The team's 73 kills and 68 assists were season-bests. The Crusaders finished the 2019 season with a 6-4 record, that included 3-2 versus SCAC foes. The Crusaders also improved to 5-1 in sets that go all five.  

Davis led Centenary with 20 kills and totaled 71 of the team's 192 total attacks. The next highest was Lowe with 27. Lowe delivered the other double-digit kill performance with 13. Rachel Demerjian made 51 assists and 11 digs. Davis had the other double-double with 16 digs. The Ladies outdid UD 103-97 in digs and were paced by Marissa Sandoval with 35.

SOCIAL MEDIA

UP NEXT

Dallas plays five of its remaining six matches against conference opponents, all in a row, at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. The first four will be part of the second SCAC Crossover on October 26-27. Opponents include: Texas Lutheran University, Johnson & Wales University-Denver, No. 8 Trinity University, and University of St. Thomas.