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Women's Volleyball 11/5/2011 10:32:00 PM Jeff Cluff, Coordinator of Media Relations

Spikers Drop Final Home Match to Grand Canyon

SAINT GEORGE, Utah -- Making her final home start of her career, senior outside hitter Alex Shearer (Park City. UT/Park City) tried to make the most of it by pounding out 15 kills. They werent enough as Dixie State fell 18-25, 21-25, 18-25 to Grand Canyon at the Student Activities Center.

After falling behind 10-6, the Red Storm used a 8-2 run to take a 14-12 lead on a Lynzee Crosland (Kemmerer, WY/) kill. Grand Canyon would then rattle off six consecutive points and outscore the Red Storm 13-6 to end the game.

The second game was a see-saw battle with both teams using runs to take the lead. But, the Red Storm could not close the deal and saw the Antelopes end the match with three consecutive points and take a 2-0 lead.

Grand Canyon was led by Caelen Hiller who had 14 kills and Janae Giles added 13 kills. The Antelopes hit .269 for the match and setter Kristen Preach added 42 assists.

For Dixie State, Shannon Young (Whittier, CA/St Paul) had six kills and the Red Storm finished by hitting .117 for the match. Jen Hardman (American Fork, UT/American Fork) added 27 kills and Jayci Jeffress (Brighton. CO/Brighton) and Shearer each had 12 digs.

Grand Canyon, currently ranked #10 in the West Region, improved to 21-6 overall and 11-4 in the PacWest. The Red Storm dropped to 13-10 overall and 8-7 in the PacWest.

Dixie State will conclude their season at Grand Canyon next Saturday night in Phoenix, AZ. The match is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.

NOTES: Tonight was senior night for the Red Storm and prior to the match Coach Darice Pratt honored Alex Shearer (Park City. UT/Park City), Morgan Hill (Logan. UT/Logan), Lynzee Crosland (Kemmerer, WY/), Jayci Jeffress (Brighton. CO/Brighton), and Jessica Hunt (Enterprise. UT/Enterprise).

Here are some highlights on each of the girls:

#1 Alex Shearer (Park City. UT/Park City) escorted by Lisa and Mike Shearer majoring in Integrated Studies with emphasis in Business and Communication. Plans to pursue a career skiing after graduation.

She had a career high 21 kills at against Hawaii Hilo on October 20, 2011 and she is 1^st all time at Dixie State with 744 kills. She also ranks first in points in her 93 career matches played.

Coach Pratt on Alex, "Alex is a great athlete and has developed into an efficient all around player. She always works hard and has a great attitude. She has truly been a huge asset to this team and will greatly be missed."

#2 Morgan Hill (Logan. UT/Logan) escorted by Holly and Steve Hill majoring in Psychology. Plans to attend Medical School after graduation.

She had a career high 15 kills at Academy of Art on Oct 4, 2011, a feat she has matched three other times. She is the holds DSC records in Block Solos with 59, Block assists with 224, total blocks at 283, and 5^th all time in attack percentage at .236 in 86 matches played.

Coach Pratt on Morgan, "Morgan is a true competitor. Not only is she a great volleyball player but also a great leader. She has a contagiously positive attitude and has been so fun to coach."

#21 Lynzee Crosland (Kemmerer, WY/) escorted by Jen and Blaine Crosland majoring in Elementary Education. Plans to be a teacher and coach after graduation.

On Sept. 8, 2011 she had a career high 9 kills against Colorado Mesa and had five blocks against Chaminade on Oct 20, 2011.

Coach Pratt on Lynzee, "Lynzee is one of the hardest working, toughest kids in the gym. She always comes ready to play and will give you everything she's got. Her fiery, competitive spirit will bring her huge success in all of her future endeavors, particularly her coaching career."

#23 Jayci Jeffress (Brighton. CO/Brighton) escorted by Teresa and Jeff Ewing majoring in Integrated Studies with emphasis in Business and Communication. Plans to live her life to the fullest after graduation.

She was a named the 2009 Libero of the year and a member of the First Team All-PacWest. In 2010 she was a PacWest Honorable Mention selction.

She had a career high 27 digs against Adams State on Sep 10, 2011. She holds Dixie State records in Digs with 1762, Set Played at 364, Matches played at 95.

Coach Pratt on Jayci, "Jayci has been a blast to work with. She would run into a wall for you and makes amazing plays because of her relentless attitude. She holds herself, as well as her teammates, to a very high standard. She has phenomenal instinct and is going to be very hard to replace."

#24 Jessica Hunt (Enterprise. UT/Enterprise) escorted by Mary and Jerald Hunt majoring in Integrated Studies with emphasis in Visual Technology & Art. Plans to start her own photography and design business after graduation.

Had a career high 8 kills at the Academy of Art on Oct 3, 2011.

Coach Pratt on Jessica, "Jessica has improved so much in one year and has worked extremely hard to become a better player. It has been fun to watch her progress and see her make those improvements in her game. She is extremely talented, on and off the volleyball court, and will be great at whatever she chooses to pursue after volleyball."

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