(RV) TIGERS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT FIVE SET MATCH AGAINST TROJANS BEHIND DWIGHT CAREER-HIGH 29 KILLS
Mitchell, S.D. – Dakota Wesleyan volleyball won their fourth straight five-set match against the Trojans behind a career-high night from recent GPAC Attacker-of-the-Week, Ady Dwight who had 29 kills. The Tigers also got a career-high from Carlee Laubach with her 18 digs in the contest. Kayleigh Hybertson recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 56 assists and 11 digs. DWU played a well-rounded match in the back row with five players recording double-digit digs on their way to season-high team 104 digs.
The Quick Details vs. Dakota State
Score:
(RV) DWU 3 – DSU 2 (25-19, 22-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-11)
Records:
(RV) DWU 14-10 (4-4 GPAC)
DSU 8-10
Recap
The Tigers in the first set came out firing on all cylinders on offense and had a clear game plan coming in, the same game plan that has been all season, feed number two. Ady Dwight racked up seven kills in the set alone on 17 swings and one error for a .353 first set attack percentage. It was a group effort behind Dwight though with Logan Bly, Elizabeth Tyler, Abigail Brunsing, and Emily Dale all collecting two kills in the set. Dwight also had two blocks in the set bringing her points responsible in the set to nine. Tya Weideman and Carlee Laubach were all over the place defensively seeming to get every ball up that the Trojans hit at them with their respective seven and six digs in the set. Midway through set one it was DWU who faced a one-point deficit, but this was where the Tigers turned it up going on a huge 7-0 run to put the game at 20-14 and eventually closing the Trojans out 25-19.
Set two early was trending to be the same with DWU jumping out to an early 3-0 lead behind two errors from the Trojans and a crushing attack from Dwight. It was at this point in the match that the DSU block was awoken and DWU struggled to find a way around it. The Trojans went on to record a staggering eight blocks in the second set alone. Their defense in the back row also dialed it up digging up any attack that did make it by the block. Dwight still got six kills in the set, bringing her total to 13 to this point, but Dwight had an uncharacteristic three errors (all off blocks) in the set as well. The Tigers had 12 kills in the set but recorded nine errors for a mere .059 attack percentage in the set. With this the Tigers still scratched and clawed to find themselves in a tied 20-20 game, but DSU closed them out 5-2 to earn the set two 25-22 win to knot it up 1-1.
Set three was a lot of the same from set two with the DSU block all over the Tiger offense and anything getting through the block was dug up by the Trojan back row who had 28 digs in the set alone. The Tigers hit a game low .021 in the third set with nine kills and almost just as many errors with eight. DSU jumped out to a big 7-1 lead to open the third set. The Tigers, having confidence in their game stay calm and responded with a 15-9 run to tie it at 16 apiece. The DSU block was all over the Tigers from this point though closing DWU out 9-3 for a 25-19 set two win and giving them a 2-1 advantage. Of the nine points to close out the set, five came off Dakota Wesleyan attack errors.
Facing a 2-1 hole and an early 3-0 hole in set four, the Tigers were threatening with dropping their first match to the Trojans since 10/5/21. Hardly any other teams are more resilient and tough with their backs up against the wall than this squad, who answered with a 9-2 run to reclaim a 9-5 lead. With how these two teams play each other contest after contest you knew the Trojans would respond with a run of their own and they did just that, grabbing the lead back at 12-11. The Trojans did this again leaning on the block and DWU errors. Wilber took a timeout at this point and obviously said the right things during the timeout to fire her squad up as the Tigers came out of the timeout with five straight points to grab a 16-12 lead. They never gave that lead up on their way to a 25-16 set four win and forcing a fourth straight five-set match against the Trojans.
In the three previous contests the Tigers have outscored the Trojans 46-37 in the fifth set. DWU knows the importance of grabbing an early lead and did just that with their 5-2 advantage. Brunsing and Dwight delivered for their squad with two kills each. Dwight second kill of the set brought her total to 26 which was a new career high. Dwight wasn't done there though as she went on to lead her squad in set five with five total kills, bringing her total to 29 kills which is the most since recent Hall-of-Fame inductee Lauren Tadlock had 28 in a match in 2016. Dakota Wesleyan kept at least a two-point lead for the remainder of the set on their way to a 15-11 set five win.
Head-to-Head (Dakota State)
- Dakota Wesleyan is now 4-1 in the last five matchups with Dakota State.
- DWU has now won the last four matches against DSU in five sets.
Up Next
The Tigers hit the road for a tough road matchup against No. 10 Midland Friday, October 6 with first serve set for 7:30 p.m.