MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University volleyball team came into the 2015 Corn Palace Classic on the heels of one of the best starts in a long time for the Tigers.
DWU dominated Presentation College for the second time in less than two weeks before battling Clarke University to a tough five-set loss. The split moves DWU to a 4-1 overall heading into day two of the event Saturday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.
After picking up a pair of wins at Grace University, the Tigers picked up where they left off sweeping Presentation in their first match of the day. DWU topped the Saints 25-15, 25-18, 25-13.
In the match against Presentation, juniors Lauren Tadlock (Rapid City, S.D.) and Dana Misiaszek (Mitchell, S.D.) finished with a team high 11 kills each. Misiaszek attempted 17 attacks without committing an error, while Tadlock had 22 attempts with just one error.
The DWU defense was led by senior Maggie Stehly (Sioux Falls, S.D.) with 11 digs, while juniors Taylor Spence (North Branch, Minn.) and Michelle Van Epps (Lakefield, Minn.) each added nine digs. Van Epps led the Tigers with 23 assists. DWU finished with 12 total blocks as a team.
Junior, Taylor Spence (North Branch, Minn.) added seven kills and nine digs for DWU. While junior, Maggie Stehly had a team high 11 digs.
Against Clarke, the Tigers and Crusaders saved the match of the day for last. After Clarke won the opening set going away, 25-11, DWU battled back to take the next two. The Tigers fought off two set points to win the second 30-28 and again battled back in the third to win 26-24. The third straight set went to extra points in the fourth, with Clarke coming out on top 28-26 to even the match at two. The Crusaders were too much for the Tigers in the fifth, winning 15-4 to take an exciting match.
DWU was led on offense for the fifth straight game to open the season by Tadlock with 21 kills. Tadlock added six digs and three block assists in the loss. Misiaszek added 13 kills and 11 digs for a double-double, while junior Sammy Fluck (Becker, Minn.) added eight kills and six total blocks.
Sophomore Maxine Block (Pahoa, Hawaii) came off the bench to provide some punch to the DWU front line. She finished with a season-high eight kills. Van Epps led the Tigers in assists with 41.
The Crusaders got a team-high 16 kills from Emily Wineinger, while Cali Beyer added 24 digs.
The Tiger volleyball team will continue at the Corn Palace Classic when they take on Valley City State University Saturday at 10:30 a.m., while DWU will close out the event against rival Dakota State University at 7 p.m.
Corn Palace Classic Results
Valley City State def. Johnson & Wales 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 23-25, 15-12
Dakota Wesleyan def. Presentation 25-15, 25-18, 25-13
Clarke def. Grace 25-14, 25-17, 25-11
Presentation def. Valley City State 26-24, 29-27, 25-17
Dakota State def. Grace 25-17, 25-10, 25-14
Dakota State def. Johnson & Wales 11-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-8
Clarke def. Dakota Wesleyan 25-11, 28-30, 24-26, 28-26, 15-4
