Dixie State closed the road portion of its 2016 regular season schedule on a sour note as the Trailblazers dropped a hard-fought five set decision at Azusa Pacific Saturday afternoon in Azusa, Calif. The setback moved the Trailblazers to 15-11 overall, 11-7 in Pacific West Conference play.
Dixie State got off to a strong start in the opening set, using a 12-3 run to turn a 10-9 lead into a 22-12 advantage en route to a 25-16 win and a 1-0 lead in the match. The Cougars (14-13/10-8 PacWest) looked like they would return the favor in the second frame as APU led by as many as seven points on a pair of occasions, but the Trailblazers rallied to eventually pull even at 24-24. However APU strung together consecutive kills to close out the set, 26-24, to even the match at a set apiece.
Azusa Pacific rode that momentum to a 25-16 win in set three and was in control late in the fourth stanza at 19-16 after a pair of DSU attack errors. Dixie State would again rally as the Trailblazers pulled even at 21-21 before scoring four of the final five points of the frame to claim a 25-22 win and square the match at 2-2. DSU took an early 5-3 lead in set five, but APU erased the deficit with nine-straight points and never looked back as the Cougars clinched the match with a 15-11 set win.
Senior outside hitter
Delayne Daniel (Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleaseant Grove HS) led the way for the Trailblazers as she posted her 16
th double-double of the year with 14 kills and 20 digs. Sophomore OH
Taylor Duryea (Logan, Utah/Sky View HS) collected 11 kills and nine digs, while senior middle blocker
Lindsay Garrett (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) finished with 10 kills and a career-high tying nine total blocks, and senior setter
Kailey Frei (Orem, Utah/Timpanogos HS) tallied 45 assists to go with six digs and five total blocks.
Dixie State's defense recorded 14 total blocks on the day and 83 digs, including a team-high 24 from sophomore libero
Sidney Brandon (Bountiful, Utah/Bountiful HS), but the Trailblazers were done in by a .104 hitting percentage on the offensive side.
Ally Gonzalez threw down a game-high 18 kills to lead three Cougars in double figures in kills. APU hit .131 as a team offensively and had five players post double-figures in digs en route to 87 for the match.
Dixie State will conclude the 2016 regular season with a two-match homestand, beginning with its final match ever vs. BYU-Hawaii this Monday night at 6 p.m., inside the DSU Student Activities Center.
