@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }
SAINT GEORGE, UT-The Dixie State College volleyball team played host to Academy of Art University in their PacWest Conference home opener on Friday night. The Red Storm fell to a gritty Urban Knight team in five sets (19-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13, 12-15).
The Red Storm (7-4, 2-1 PacWest) started the match a little flat, dropping the first two games 19-25 and 23-25. The Red Storm allowed the Urban Knights (8-5, 4-0 PacWest) to hit .200 in the first set and then committed 10 hitting errors in the second set.
The never say die attitude of the Red Storm prevailed in the third set. Trailing 6-2 early in the set, a Melissa Fifita (Midvale, UT/Cottonwood) kill gave the Red Storm a side-out. Alex Shearer (Park City. UT/Park City) then rattled off four straight DSC points giving them a 7-6 advantage. Her run included two service aces.
Trading points most of the third set, the Red Storm pulled away at 16-16 on a Madisyn Fitzgerald (Mesa, AZ/Mountain View) kill. DSC went on an 8-3 run before needing Fitzgerald to close the game out on a Kimee Clark set at 25-22.
Game four was all the Red Storm, after the Urban Knights evened the match at 6-6, DSC ran away on a 19-7 streak to close out the set. The set featured a run of seven straight service points from Clark. DSC committed only three errors in the fourth set while collecting 18 kills. They hit a stellar .455 for the game.
The winner take all fifth set saw AAU jump out to a 7-2 lead, with the Red Storm committing four consecutive attack errors. Despite trailing, DSC battled back when Shearer served four straight to tie the game at 7-7. Urban Knights DanYang earned a kill and a service ace push the lead to 9-7.
An AAU setting error and another kill by Yang gave them a 10-8 advantage. Then a Urban Knight attack error gave the Red Storm the side out and Fitzgerald collected an ace and forced an attack error to give DSC a 11-10 lead.
A kill from AAU's Angela Heath followed by a Morgan Hill (Logan. UT/Logan) kill gave DSC a 12-11 advantage. Dixie State would commit three consecutive errors and Yang would close the match out with her match-high19th kill.
The Urban Knights remained perfect in conference play and were led by Yang's 19 kills and Camille Broad added 12 of her own.
Dixie State had three players in double figure kills with Fitzgerald collecting 13, Brita Noble 11, Morgan Hill (Logan. UT/Logan) 10, Shearer and Fifita 9 apiece.
The Red Storm and Urban Knights with do battle again tomorrow at the Student Activities Center (Old Gym) at 2:00 PM.
GAME NOTES: With the Red Storm leading 21-11 in the fourth set, Brita Noble tried to block a shot at the net and landed on the post that holds the net up on the bench side of the court. She was carried off the court and was unable to continue. She was evaluated by the DSC trainers and will be day-to-day.
