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Utah Tech University Athletics

2021 VB - Kate Hardy vs. GCU
Stan Plewe/Utah Tech Athletics
3
Winner Dixie St. Dixie 3-9,2-2 WAC
1
California Baptist CBU 7-7,2-2 WAC
Winner
Dixie St. Dixie
3-9,2-2 WAC
3
Final
1
California Baptist CBU
7-7,2-2 WAC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Dixie St. Dixie 26 18 25 25 (3)
California Baptist CBU 24 25 17 20 (1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | By DSU Athletics Media Relations

Trailblazers nab first road win with 3-1 triumph at California Baptist

DSU earns first NCAA-era road victory over CBU

The Dixie State volleyball team earned its first road win of the season on Thursday with a 3-1 (26-24, 18-25, 25-17, 25-20) victory over California Baptist inside the CBU Events Center in Riverside, California. 
 
The Trailblazers (3-9, 2-2 WAC) made some team history in the process, as head coach Camilla Hafoka notched her first career road victory while doing something no other Dixie State NCAA-era volleyball coach has done: Win in Riverside. 
 
Thursday's victory marked the first time in eight NCAA-era tries the Trailblazers have defeated the Lancers in Riverside. More importantly, Thursday's win moved DSU back to .500 in conference play in an early battle for positioning in the WAC's West Division.
 
"This win was extremely important for us," Hafoka said. "We've stressed how early in the season it still is and there's still time to change. We challenged our team to change their mindset and attitude and put their words to action. They did that tonight. The girls trusted each other, and then executed. It was a great team win."
 
Dixie State saw three players finish with double-figure kills, including a career-high 19 kills by Kate Hardy, who etched her name in the DSU record books in the process. Hardy finished with a .600 hitting percentage, marking just the third time in the NCAA-era a Trailblazer has recorded a percentage of .600 or higher. Hardy also recorded seven total blocks and three service aces, while Whittnee Nihipali posted her fourth double-double of the season with 11 kills and 12 digs, and Hannah Howard finished 10 kills, four total blocks, and four digs.
 
The Trailblazers built a 14-11 lead midway through the first set behind three kills and a block by Howard. California Baptist responded with an 8-2 run to flip the script and take a 19-15 advantage. The teams traded the next two points before Howard slammed down a DSU kill on the next play to spark a 7-3 run to pull even at 22-22. CBU countered with two of the next three points to pull ahead at 24-23, but the Trailblazers fought off the set-point situation, tallying the next three points, including back-to-back services aces by Hardy, to claim the 26-24 victory. 
 
Dixie State looked to pick up where it left off and jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set two. But the lead didn't last long. The Lancers roared back with a 14-2 run to build the largest lead of the frame at 15-6. Dixie State responded with an 8-2 spurt to trim the lead to 17-14, but wouldn't get any closer as CBU countered with an 8-4 run to earn a 25-18 win. 
 
DSU quickly took control of the third set, scoring the first seven points of the frame to take a 7-0 lead. Hardy keyed the Trailblazer run, notching four kills and a block. CBU battled back with an 8-3 run to pull to within 10-8, but Dixie State quickly responded with two points to push the advantage back to 12-8. The Lancers would again trim the lead to two points at 12-10, but that's as close as it would get. DSU responded with a 6-1 run to build an 18-11 lead it would not relinquish, eventually claiming a 25-17 victory. Hardy finished with nine kills in the set to go with three total blocks and a service ace. 
 
With a chance to close out their first road victory of the year, the Trailblazers jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the fourth set behind three more kills from Hardy and a pair of kills by Megan Treanor. After splitting the next four points, Dixie State seemed to gain complete control, using an 8-1 run to establish an 18-7 advantage. But CBU refused to go down easily, and countered with a 7-1 run to pull to within 19-14. DSU scored three of the next four points to push the lead back to 22-15, but the Lancers fought back again with three straight points to pull back to within 22-18. Needing just three points to seal the win, the Trailblazers dug in and scored three of the next five points to complete the 25-20 triumph in set four and the 3-1 match victory. 
 
Dixie State finished with 49 kills and a .203 hitting percentage. The Trailblazers also matched a season-high 13 total blocks. Jordyn Nelson recorded a season-high 27 assists in the victory, while Rebekah Farris matched her career-high with 13 digs. Lacie Tenney also enjoyed a career night and posted a career-best six total blocks, and Lizzy Clark finished with four total blocks. In all, five DSU players recorded at least four total blocks. 
 
The Trailblazers will wrap up their three-match road swing with a Saturday afternoon matchup at Seattle U. Opening serve is set for 1 p.m. Pacific Time (2 p.m. MT). 
 
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