Box Score (html)
AUSTIN, Texas – After dropping the first set 25-23, SWOSU caught fire and won three straight sets to defeat Tiffin 3-1 on Friday afternoon at the Hilltopper Classic. The Bulldogs move to 1-1 on the year with the victory, which came by set scores of 23-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-21.
SWOSU hit .234 for the match with 51 kills, led by
Carly Zak with a match-high 19 while hitting at a .229 clip. Zak also had a career-high five service aces, including three in a 12-point run by the Bulldogs during her serve in the third set as SWOSU took control of the match.
Tiffin built a 5-0 lead in the first set and held SWOSU off despite the Bulldog tying the match at four points, with the latest being 22-22. The Dragons scored three of the final four points in the set to take the early lead. SWOSU gained control in the second set behind offense from Zak and
DeLayni Fine, who set a new career-high with 11 kills while hitting .333 for the match.
The Bulldogs controlled the third set, breaking open a 9-9 tie with 12 consecutive points with Zak at the serve. The rally concluded with SWOSU leading 21-10, needing kills from
Kelsi Schmidtberger, Fine and
Blair Dressendorfer to finish the set off at 25-14 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
SWOSU started the fourth set with points coming from the middle as Fine,
Paige Holt and Schmidtberger helped build a 10-6 lead in the early going. The Bulldogs maintained the lead throughout the entire set, going on a 5-2 run after Tiffin got within one at 15-14. Zak finished the match off with four kills and a service ace in the final six points as SWOSU put away the Dragons for their first win of the year.
Zak and Fine combined for 30 kills and six different players hit above .200 for the Bulldogs, who also added eight blocks in the match.
Kayla Hebert directed the offense efficiently, finishing with her second double-double of the weekend with 38 assists and 11 digs to go along with five kills.
"This was a great team win with contributions for everyone," SWOSU Head Coach
Josh Collins said following the match. "DeLayni did a great job giving us options in our offense, Kayla was solid in distributing the ball and Carly bounced back in impressive fashion. This is a good win for our confidence and I look forward to our teams continued growth."
SWOSU is now 1-1 on the year heading into an 8:00 pm matchup with Missouri S&T later this evening in their third match of the Hilltopper Classic.
