Utah Tech University Athletics

Stan Plewe/Utah Tech Athletics

Women's Volleyball 12/5/2013 2:49:00 PM Jeff Cluff, Coordinator of Media Relations

Red Storm Drop Match to UCSD at NCAA Regional

Box Score SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- The Dixie State University volleyball team ended its cinderella season with a four set loss to the No. 3 seeded UC San Diego, 19-25, 25-18, 18-25, 22-25 today at the NCAA West Regional in San Bernardino, Calif.

The Red Storm (17-10) finished the season with many firsts, an NCAA appearance for the first time in program history and head coach Robyn Felder being named the Pacific West Coach of the Year.

"We made a good showing today and represented ourselves and the instituition in a great way today," said Felder. "We put ourselves on the volleyball map today in the West and we are only going to continue to get better."

In today's match DSU fell just short of West Region powerhouse UCSD, who has made an appearance 12 of 13 times since their transition from the NCAA Division III ranks.

Middle blocker Nicole Koehler (Sandy, UT/Alta) and Maddie Rex (Tucson, AZ/Sabino) paced the Red Storm offense. Alex Anderson (Prescott, AZ/Prescott) led with 23 digs on defense.

Both teams struggled with their attack at times. Dixie State hit just .164, almost .30 points below their season average and UCSD finished at .204 for the match. The main difference in the match came at the net, with the Tritons bounced the Red Storm for 13 blocks to just 5.

The opening set saw the Red Storm take a quick 1-0 lead, but UCSD rebounded and controlled the game by hitting .312 to DSU's .231. The Tritons never trailed after that point.

In the second set, DSU rebounded and jumped to a 3-0 advantage and led by as many as eight points at 23-15, before securing the victory at 25-18.

In the third frame the Tritons hit a match-best .333. Despite controlling the set, DSU took a 14-13 lead on a Nicole Koehler (Sandy, UT/Alta) kill. UCSD regained the lead and controlled until the 18-17 point and then managed to outscored DSU 7-1 to end the frame and take a 2-1 lead.

The Red Storm did not back down despite trailing by a game. They looked to force a fifth set where they were a perfect 7-0 on the season, but UCSD prevailed. The final game featured seven ties, including the last at 21-21. But four of the last five belonged to the Tritons to secure the victory. Senior Shannon Young (Whittier, CA/St Paul) had five kills in the final frame.

"I'm proud of the way we played this season," concluded Felder.

Dixie State finished 17-10 this year, the second best record in school history. Lookout for the Red Storm in years to come.

Print Friendly Version