Dixie State saw a furious five-set rally come up just short as the Trailblazers dropped a 3-2 decision at Dominican University Saturday night at the Conlan Center.

DSU (7-10/5-4 PacWest) took the opening set by a 25-20 count, but the Penguins (5-12/4-5 PacWest) quickly squared the match with a decisive 25-8 set two win that featured 12-straight Dominican points to close the frame. DUC went up 2-1 in the match with a 25-23 win in set three, but the Trailblazers managed to force a decisive final set with a 25-16 set four triumph. DSU used a 15-6 run to turn a 6-6 tie in to a nine-point lead at 21-12 on its way to square the match at 2-2.

Dixie State fell into an early 7-2 hole to begin the fifth set, but rallied to outscore the Penguins 8-2 to take a 10-9 lead. Dominican then countered with a 5-1 spurt to get to match point at 14-11, but again DSU clawed back by fighting off three match-points to tie the frame at 14-14 on serve. However the Penguins managed to score the final two points to post a 16-14 set win to clinch the match.

Brette Barney (Prescott, Ariz./Prescott HS) and Lauren Gammell (Spanish Fork, Utah/Spanish Fork HS) each had 11 kills to the lead the Trailblazers, while Kayla Chapman (Fullerton, Calif./Troy HS) and Shannon Sorensen (Smithfield, Utah/Sky View HS) collected with nine kills apiece. DSU hit .179 as a team and finished with 54 total kills. DSU's defense held DUC to a .207 hitting percentage and had five players finish in double figures in digs, led by Sid Brandon (Bountiful, Utah/Bountiful HS) with a team-high 22.

Dixie State closes its four-match Bay Area road trip Monday afternoon with a date at Academy of Art in San Francisco beginning at 3 p.m. (PT).