Jamestown, N.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan Tigers dropped their regular season finale to the No. 12 Jimmies 3-1. Jamestown took the first two sets by scores of 25-13 and 25-18 to go up two sets to none. DWU didn't go down without a fight, taking the third set 25-21 to force a fourth set. Jamestown got their groove back and like set one walked away with the 25-13 set four victory and 3-1 match win. Dakota Wesleyan fell just one game short of another 20+ game win season under the helm of Lindsay Wilber. Ady Dwight, coming off being NAIA and GPAC Attacker-of-the-Week had a more modest game with 15 kills and just one block. Elizabeth Tyler recorded a career-high 18 digs to go with her seven kills.
Jamestown in set one had a staggering .417 team attack percentage compared to Dakota Wesleyan .147 percentage. Early in the set though it was the Tigers with a 5-4 lead over the Jimmies. Tyler recorded back-to-back kills followed by a big kill from Dwight to give them that lead. It was at this point in the set the Jimmies really pulled away with a huge 10-2 run. Jamestown would only grow on that seven-point lead for a 25-13 win in set one.
The Tigers won the race to 10 in set two with their 10-8 advantage. During the stretch DWU got kills from Dwight, Hailey Bleeker, Abigail Brunsing, and Tyler. After an ace serve from Tya Weideman and kill from Dwight, the Tigers had a three-point lead, their biggest of the match to this point. Aleah Zieske of Jamestown put her team on her back with four straight kills to give UJ the lead back at 12-11. Trading point for point the score remained a one-point game at 16-15 later in the set. Jamestown, like in set one, went on a big run and closed the Tigers out 9-3 to grab a two-set advantage.
Set three was a back-and-forth contest with the Tigers showing their continued toughness and grit they have shown all season. With a slim 19-18 lead late for the Tigers and Weideman and the service line, Dakota Wesleyan got three straight clutch points to grab a 22-18 lead. DWU held that four-point lead for the remainder of the set to force a set four with the top-15 ranked Jimmies. Jamestown got back in rhythm and like in set one, earned a 25-13 set four win and 3-1 match win.
The Quick Details vs. No. 12 Jimmies
Score:
DWU 1 – UJ 3 (13-25 18-25, 25-21, 13-25)
Records
DWU 19-14 (8-8 GPAC)
No. 12 UJ 22-8 (14-2 GPAC)
Up Next
The Tigers begin the 2023 GPAC Tournament with a Quarterfinals matchup against No. 2 seed in the GPAC tournament and No. 4 ranked in the country Concordia University Saturday, November 4 at 7:30 p.m.