Dixie State kicked off the first night of the DSU-hosted Desert Garden Inn by Wyndham Classic in fine fashion with a 3-1 victory over No. 18 Tarleton State Thursday night in the Burns Arena.

The Trailblazers (3-1) used a 13-4 run early in the opening set to turn a slim 7-6 lead into a commanding 20-10 edge on their way to a quick one-set advantage in the match, 25-19. DSU kept the momentum going in set two, bolting out to a 10-6 bulge, but the TexAnns scored seven of the next eight points to wrestle the lead away at 13-11.

Dixie State rattled off three-straight points to regain the advantage, but TSU went on a 6-1 spurt and would go on square the match with a 25-21 set two win. DSU answered with a 25-21 win of its own in set three and clinched the match with a hard-fought 25-23 victory in the decisive fourth set.

Sophomore Megan Treanor (Salem, Utah/Salem Hills HS) tied a career-high with 19 kills and hit .317 for the match to lead the Trailblazers offensively. Treanor also collected 17 assists, five digs and three blocks, while senior Hannah Doonan (San Dimas, Calif./San Dimas HS) just missed a double-double with a season-high 10 kills and nine assists. Sophomore Jordyn Nelson (Phoenix, Ariz./Greenway HS) tallied a game-high 27 assists and nine digs, and senior Sid Brandon (Bountiful, Utah/Bountiful HS) finished with 16 digs, five digs and three aces.

DSU hit .192 with 54 kills, while the Trailblazer defense limited TSU to a .072 hitting percentage thanks to 68 digs and 11.0 total team blocks , with junior Lauren Gammell (Spanish Fork, Utah/Spanish Fork HS) (6) and senior Malary Marshall (Hurricane, Utah/Hurricane HS) (5) combining for 11 block assists.

Earlier in the day, Colorado-Colorado Springs opened the tournament with a five-set win over fellow RMAC member Adams State (25-19, 28-30, 25-16, 22-25, 15-11).

The Trailblazers continue tournament play Friday with two matches, the first coming against  Western New Mexico at 2 p.m., followed by a date vs. UCCS at 7 p.m.