Upset bid falls short as DWU loses to No. 19 Defenders

MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University volleyball team had No. 19 Dordt University on the ropes heading to the fourth set. However, Dordt came back and defeated DWU in five sets on Saturday from the Christen Family Athletic Center in Mitchell.

 In the first set, the Defenders (11-6, 3-3 GPAC) took a 17-14 lead midway through. But the Tigers (14-5, 1-5 GPAC) tied the game at 20, and scored the final five points of the set to take the opening set of the day.

 In the second set, Dordt held a commanding 20-11 advantage. However, DWU stormed back with an 8-0 run to make it 20-19 following consecutive Jadie DeLange (Monument, Colo.) kills. After a service error by Dordt gave the Tigers a 24-23 lead, the teams traded blows until the Defenders squeaked out a 29-27 win.

 Both teams answered each other in the third set as neither team took control of the game. With the Tigers leading 21-20, attack errors by Dordt gave DWU a 25-22 set win.

 Dordt handled the fourth set as they opened a 14-9 lead and won the set 25-18, forcing a fifth set. The Defenders took an early 4-0 lead in the final set, but the Tigers narrowed the margin after a Rebecca Frick (Yankton, S.D.) kill. Dordt was too much as they took the final set, 15-7 and ended the DWU upset bid.

 Frick finished with 22 kills and 11 digs, while DeLange tallied 10 kills and Emily Brunsing notched nine kills and two block assists. Bridgett Knobbe (Norfolk, Neb.) added 47 assists, as Mallory Cooper (Orchard, Neb.) recorded 21 digs and Brittany Bergquist (Wolsey, S.D.) finished with eight kills and six block assists.

 The Tigers step out of conference play as they take on Presentation College at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Aberdeen, S.D.