Posted: Nov 20, 2021
Mitchell, S.D.—Dakota Wesleyan volleyball picks up their first ever NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship opening-round win; and they do it at home in the Corn Palace. The Tigers and Cougars played four close sets in front of 580 fans, making it the largest crowd of the season; for DWU volleyball.
THE QUICK DETAILS
Score:
DWU 3 – SXU 1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-21, 25-22)
Records:
DWU 24-9 Overall
SXU 28-4 Overall
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Right away, Coach Wilber and company fell behind 10-5 after four errors by the Tigers.
- DWU climbed back into the match after a couple of SXU hitting errors and a service error by the Cougars.
- Dakota Wesleyan tied the match at 18-18 on a solo block by senior Jadie DeLange.
- The Tigers and Cougars went back and forth, tying the game five different times before DWU picked up a point on an SXU attack error and the set point on a kill by Ady Dwight.
- DWU outhit SXU in the opening set .185% to .043%.
- Saint Xavier grabbed a 3-0 lead to start the second set of the night after back-to-back hitting errors by the Tigers.
- Dakota Wesleyan crawled back within one point before the Cougars went on a 7-0 run and the 14-7 lead.
- After a timeout by the Tigers, they went on a run bringing the Cougars lead back to five points at 18-13.
- Dakota Wesleyan could not grab the second set win as SXU ties the match at 1-1.
- The Cougars hit their best all night in the second set with .196%, as the Tigers hit .154 in the second set.
- The third set of the night began like the first and second, as DWU fell behind early 8-5.
- The Tigers went on a 6-0 run flipping the match for an 11-8 DWU lead.
- The Dakota Wesleyan lead was short-lived before SXU put together a run of their own to tie the match, then take the lead 16-13.
- Coach Wilber and company continued to hang on and keep the match close; as they neared the end of the third set with a 20-17 lead.
- DeLange, Mackenzie Miller, and Mariah Gloe all notched kills for the Tigers collected a 2-1 lead in the match.
- Dakota Wesleyan commanded the fourth and final set of the night, with a .214 hitting percentage that was their best of the night.
- DWU kept their errors to a minimum in the fourth set while pairing on four different runs of three points or more.
- Once the Tigers tallied a 21-17 lead, the Cougars began making a late push but proved not enough as DWU collected the fourth set win 25-22, and the match victory 3-1.
- In the match, DWU hit .159 percent while keeping SXU to .124 percent.
- The Tigers tallied 48 kills, five service aces, 74 digs, and 19 total blocks.
- Saint Xavier recorded 52 kills, four service aces, 62 digs, and 25 total blocks in the match.
BEYOND THE RESULTS
- Ady Dwight: 10 kills and five block assists
- Jadie DeLange: nine kills, .162 hitting percentage, one solo block, and one assisted block
- Madeline Else: four kills, 41 assists, two service aces, five digs, and three block assists
- Mariah Gloe: 10 kills, .381 hitting percentage, seven digs, and four block assists
- Hanna Reiff: 29 digs
- Callie Slagter: one service ace and 12 digs
UP NEXT
Dakota Wesleyan volleyball now waits to find out their opponents for pool play in Sioux City, Iowa. The remaining NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship games; will be held at the Tyson Events Center; pool play will begin for the Tigers on Tuesday, November 30.
