DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
1-0
Jacksonville
0-1
DePaul Starts Season Right in Win Over Jacksonville
8/30/2019 12:21:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Regardless of a second set loss, DePaul cranked out the offense and topped the Jacksonville Dolphins 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-18, 25-20) Friday morning to start off the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational on a strong note.Â
FROM ZIDEK
"Great first match and win against a Jacksonville team that is also trying to take control of its narrative and fight to migrate up in the conference this year," said Zidek. "They battled us hard. We did a great job staying with our game plan and our veterans really allowed our rookies to to play loose and free.Â
"Claire Anderson's defense was really key in that match, as was our block, dig, to transition offense. It was great seeing offensive production from everybody we played. Elana, Emma, Brittany, Donna and Avarie carried a big load for us and Bailey was able to chip in a couple kills and get us some blocks the time we needed them.Â
"Looking forward to the next match and continuing our growth mindset."
SET ONE » Brittany Maxwell hammered down the first kill of the season and of the tournament to give DePaul the first advantage. Jacksonville knotted the score at 1-1 but the Blue Demons held the lead for the remainder of the set. A Donna Brown kill and a handful of JU errors would make it 7-4 in DPU's favor. Elana Brueggemann's first career kill paired with a kill from Emma Price and more JU faults doubled DePaul's lead 12-6, forcing a Dolphin timeout. DePaul proceeded to go on a 8-4 run, featuring Bailey Nelson's first career kill, along with action from Isabell De La Rosa, Maxwell and Brown to make it 19-10. At set point with a nine point lead, Price threw down the final kill to give DePaul the first one 25-15.
SET TWO » Maxwell put the first two numbers on the board with monster kills separated by a Jacksonville bad set to give DePaul a 3-0 advantage. With the Blue Demons once again holding the lead, back-to-back kills from Price would double the lead to 8-4. From there, DePaul earned six of eleven points, as Jacksonville crept up 12-10, forcing head coach Marie Zidek to call a DePaul timeout. The Blue Demons went on a 3-0 run out of the stoppage to grow the difference to five points. The Dolphins would take a late lead on a 11-4 run and go on to take the second set 25-23.
SET THREE » The first kill went to Jacksonville and the Blue Demons knotted the score 3-3. With fives across the board, Brueggemann notched two more kills separated by a JU bad set to double DePaul's lead to 8-4. With DePaul in a 20-14 advantage, Jacksonville called a timeout. Out of the stoppage, DePaul took five of nine points and won the set on a Natalie Hayward service ace.
SET FOUR » Jacksonville jumped out for an early lead but then made it even on a service error. After a back-and-forth battle seeing five knots in the score, DePaul went on a 3-0 run to take a 10-7 lead and threaten, forcing a Jacksonville timeout. The difference remained narrow throughout the middle of the set until the Blue Demons went on a 4-0 run to find an 18-12 lead. Out of a DePaul timeout, a Maxwell kill brought about a 5-8 run for the Blue Demons and their first win of the season on a kill from Brueggemann.Â
LEADERS
Kills - Maxwell (15)
Hitting % - Brown (.727)
Digs - Hayward (11)
Assists - Dolan (27)
Service Aces - Hayward (2)
Total Blocks - Evans-Allen (5)
NEXT UP
The Blue Demons play Southeast Missouri State this evening at 4:30 p.m. CT.Â
SOCIAL MEDIA
For everything DePaul Volleyball, follow the Blue Demons across multiple social media platforms: Twitter or Instagram. Join in the conversation using #PrideInThePursuit.Â
Be sure to like DePaul on Facebook and check out some of the sights and sounds around DePaul on Twitter or on Instagram.Â
Miss any of the action? Subscribe to the Blue Demons on YouTube.
