Columbia, Mo. -- The No. 13 Dakota Wesleyan Tigers dropped a pair of games against top-25 opponents. The Tigers came into today with a perfect 4-0 record in match play and 12-0 in set play. DWU held leads and played each set close throughout the day but just couldn't limit the big runs in both games resulting in games to get out of reach. The Tigers dropped to 4-2 on the season with the pair of loses to the tough ranked opponents.
The Quick Details game one vs. No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan
Score:
No.13 DWU 0 –No. 16 IWU 3 (13-25, 15-25, 24-26)
Records:
No. 13 DWU 4-1
No. 16 IWU 1-0
Recap
The Tigers are coming off as good as a tournament as you can ask for going a perfect 4-0 in match play and 12-0 in their sets down in Florida. Dakota Wesleyan knew rolling into this tournament that the opposition would be strong with three of the four teams they will face being top-20 schools in the nation. DWU first matchup was with No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan. The Tigers opened the match going point for point with the Wildcats getting kills from Elizabeth Tyler and Ady Dwight. Dwight with the kill moved into the four spot for kills all-time in DWU history. With the score knotted at four the Wildcats really pulled away and went on a huge 17-4 run to grab a 21-8 lead over the Tigers. DWU struggled to put the ball away on the offensive attack and handed the Wildcats a handful of points on attack errors. IWU took the first set 25-13 to hand the Tigers their first set loss of the 2023 season.
In set two again the Tigers looked like they were going to go toe to toe with the Wildcats keeping it close on trailing Indiana Wesleyan 7-8. DWU again was getting a push from Tyler and Dwight. Emily Dale added a kill during the run while freshman setter, Kayleigh Hybertson added an ace during the stretch. The Wildcats again would go on a run to gain a six-point cushion and never looked back. IWU closed out the set on a 6-0 run to grab the 25-15 set win.
DWU for the third straight set came out swinging and was right with the Wildcats and even grabbed their second and third lead of the game at 10-9 and 11-10. This time, however, the Tigers put their foot down and maintained that one point lead for most of the game. DWU was getting added offensive support from Abigail Brunsing who provided a spark for the Tiger offense. Dakota Wesleyan held a 21-19 lead, their biggest lead of the match, and was looking to grab a set three win. The Wildcats had other plans to retake the lead thanks to a 5-0 run and taking advantage of three Tiger errors. Dakota Wesleyan being the tough resilient team they are answered with a 3-0 run to knot it back up at 24 apiece. With the momentum back on the DWU side the Tigers were looking to close it out. The Tigers, however, made two self-inflicted errors to give the Wildcats the 26-24 and 3-0 match win.
In game two the Tigers struggled in the first two sets with errors. DWU had six errors in both the first two sets resulting in hitting percentages of .171 and .088. Dwight and Brunsing both led the way in kills with 11 each. Dakota Wesleyan had a hard time getting it over and past the Cougars blockers. CC racked up 13 total blocks during the contest. Dwight had the best hitting percentage with a .476, followed by Brunsing with a .320. It was the story of limiting long runs again in game two. The Cougars, like the Wildcats in game one, went on one big run-in sets two and three to gain a big lead on the Tigers and didn't give it up. In the two sets the Tigers had a lead early in the game but just couldn't limit the big Cougar runs resulting in the sets to get out of reach.
The Quick Details game two vs. No. 14 Columbia
Score:
No.13 DWU 3 – No. 14 CC 0 (22-25, 25-21, 25-15)
Records:
No. 13 DWU 4-2
CC 4-0
Up Next
No. 13 Dakota Wesleyan Tigers return to the court tomorrow with two games. First they battle William Penn at 9 AM. Then they matchup against their third top-20 opponent of the trip against No. 19 Central Methodist at 11 AM.