Mitchell, S.D. – No. 17 Dakota Wesleyan volleyball got into a bind during an extended second set that tied the match at 1-1. The Tigers came back strong in sets three and four to secure the first win at home for the 2022 season.
The Quick Details
Score:
#17 DWU 3 – BCU 1 (25-17, 25-27, 25-10, 25-13)
Records:
#17 DWU 8-2 (GPAC 1-1)
BCU 4-5 (GPAC 0-2)
How It Happened
Dakota Wesleyan controlled three out of the four sets during their home opener against Briar Cliff. The Tigers set things in motion right away in set one, as Madeline Else connected with several different attackers including Ady Dwight, Abigail Brunsing, and Mackenzie Miller taking a 16-9 lead. Else added to the lead shortly after on a pair of service aces, giving DWU a nine-point lead over the Chargers in the opening set. Dakota Wesleyan held their errors to a minimum in the first set, only committing three compared to Briar Cliff who committed six errors and hit .000 percent. DWU grabbed set one 25-15 and the match lead.
The Chargers played well in the second set right away, jumping on the Tigers early with a 14-9 lead. Dakota Wesleyan battled to keep the second set close after that, where they later tied the game at 24-24. The Tigers then grabbed a single-point lead at 25-24 after Mariah Gloe sent an attack to the hardwood for a kill. As we headed into an extended second set for the win by two points, the Chargers responded by getting a kill of their own to tie the game again before tying the match at 1-1 with the 27-25 set two win.
After switching sides and having the home crowd in front of the bench, the Tigers rallied to a big third-set win. DWU opened the set with a 5-1 run for a lead that was the same; only just two rallied after grabbing a 7-1 lead as the Chargers posted a pair of attacking errors. BCU could not climb out of the deficit the Tigers imposed on them as they were held to a negative hitting percentage. DWU rang up 12 kills and only two errors for a .233 hitting percentage in the third set. Else connected with Dwight three times in a row late in the third for the 21-9 lead before grabbing a point from a BCU attacking error and a Dannielle Burns service ace making it a 23-9 lead. Briar Cliff was only allowed one more point after that as Dakota Wesleyan grabbed the final two for the 25-10 set three wins and the 2-1 match lead.
The fourth and final set ran much like the third, the Tigers in which they held the Chargers to hitting only .045 percent as DWU went for a .189 hitting percentage with 14 kills. Dakota Wesleyan was receiving kills from everyone in the fourth set, including Taylee Indahl as she put the Tigers up 14-5. Briar Cliff was once again held to minimum points in the final set, only being able to ring up 13 before the Tigers tallied 25 for the 3-1 match win.
Overall, the Tigers hit .215 percent while holding the Chargers to only hitting .034 percent in the match. Dwight tallied a new season high with 24 kills as she hit a team-high of .306 percent with three assisted blocks. Else, was just shy of a new career high in assists after posting 50. Gloe and Hanna Reiff each tallied 21 and 20 digs, respectively.
Up Next
The No. 17 Tigers are back in action from Fosness Arena on Wednesday, September 17 as they welcome in the Red Raiders of Northwestern. Game times are set at 6 p.m. for the junior varsity squads and 7:30 p.m. for the varsity teams.
