Dixie State opened play at the PacWest/GNAC Crossover tournament on a sour note as the Storm was swept in three games vs. #19 Western Washington, 19-25, 14-25, 22-25, Friday afternoon in Ellensburg, Wash. DSU fell to 2-3 on the season, while the Vikings improved to 3-2.

In the first set the Storm looked like they were poised for a possible upset bid as DSU led by as many as four points at 15-11 and again at 16-12. However the Vikings would mount a furious rally, outscoring Dixie State 10-1, including five-straight points in one stretch, to erase the deficit and coast to the opening set win.

The Vikings would use a similar run to break open set two, turning a 6-5 lead into an 18-10 advantage en route to a 2-0 lead in the match. Dixie State fought hard to extend the game in the third stanza and held a late 20-19 lead in the frame, but the Vikings would outscore the Storm 6-3 the rest of the way to complete the sweep.

Dixie State hit just .144 for the match and tied a season-low with 32 kills. Senior Makenzi Bird-Murphey (St. George, Utah/Snow Canyon HS) and juniors Lindsay Jones (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) and Delayne Daniel (American Fork, Utah/Pleaseant Grove HS) each had seven kills to pace DSU, while junior Kailey Frei (Orem, Utah/Timpanogos HS) posted a double-double with 24 assists and a team-high 13 digs. Western Washington hit .230 and recorded 42 kills for the match.

Dixie State continues play at the Crossover Friday with two more matches, starting with a showdown with Northwest Nazarene at 3:45 p.m. (PT), followed by a match at Central Washington at 8:30 p.m. (PT). Dixie State will then close the tourney Saturday vs. #14 Alaska-Anchorage at 2:30 p.m. (PT).