Dixie State’s women’s volleyball team closed out its three-match homestand with its third-straight three-set sweep as the Trailblazers grounded Hawai’i Pacific, 3-0, on Friday night in Pacific West Conference action at the DSU Student Activities Center.
The Trailblazers (6-8, 4-2 PacWest) trailed by just five total points in the first two sets on their way to a quick 2-0 lead in the match. DSU claimed set one by a 25-21 count and posted a 25-17 win in set two.
Dixie State looked as if it would have its way in set three as the Trailblazers scored their first three points on three-straight blocked HPU attacks. However, the Sharks (6-9, 4-3 PacWest) had other ideas as they rattled off an 8-1 run to bolt out to its largest lead of the match at 8-4.
DSU battled back to square the frame at 13-13 and eventually took the lead for good at 17-16. The Trailblazers pushed the lead to as many as five points before settling for the 25-21 match-clinching set win.
Dixie State just missed tying its season high for hitting (.300 vs. Dominican last Saturday) as it finished with a .298 clip in a well-balanced offensive attack. Senior Brette Barney, junior Kayla Chapman and freshman Kaycee Adams each tallied eight kills, while sophomore Lauren Gammell finished with seven kills. Sophomore Kara Moore collected a season-high 17 assists, and freshman Jordyn Nelson added 16 dimes.
Gammell also got the job done on the defensive side as she just missed tying DSU’s single-match record for block assists with career-high nine as the Trailblazers posted a PacWest season-high 11 total team blocks. Dixie State’s defense held HPU to a .110 hitting percentage and forced 22 Shark attack errors.
Dixie State now heads back out on the road for a four-match PacWest Bay Area swing, beginning with a match at Notre Dame de Namur on Wednesday, Oct. 11. DSU will also play at Holy Names (Oct. 13) and Dominican (Oct. 14) before closing the trip at Academy of Art on Oct. 16.
Steve Johnson is the Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations and Collegiate Licensing at Dixie State University. For more DSU Athletics news, please visit www.dixieathletics.com and follow Dixie State on Twitter at @DixieAthletics.