DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
3-0
Missouri State University
1-1
DePaul Comes From Behind in Galvanizing Win to Capture Tournament Championship
8/31/2019 4:04:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - DePaul came back from a 0-2Â deficit to force a fifth set and complete a tournament sweep after defeating Missouri State 3-2 (20-25, 24-26, 25-22, 25-15, 16-14) Saturday afternoon at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational. The Blue Demons are now 3-0 to kick off the season for the first time since going on a 13-0 season-opening run in 2013.Â
FROM ZIDEK
"We have been talking as a team about working towards our galvanizing moment and taking pride in how hard the pursuit of every point, every set and every match is," said head coach Marie Zidek. "I think we have found that galvanizing moment today in this gritty five set win.
"I'm so proud of our entire team effort in this victory. Wow -- what a moment too for our seniors who have poured so much into this program and started this year hot and allowing the rest of our roster to push our potential.
"This has been one of the most fun matches in my entire career to be a part of and the team deserves all the credit. They worked hard from behind to prove something and they proved it against an elite program in Missouri State on their home court to win the tournament championship.Â
"We will celebrate tonight and then it's back to work to prepare for Bradley, Oakland and Belmont next weekend."
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE » A kill from freshman Bailey Nelson started off the contest but the Bears followed with a 4-0 run to jump into a three-point lead. DePaul quickly caught up on a MSU service error along with kills from Katie Dolan and Brittany Maxwell and it was a back-and-forth battle until a trio of MSU errors along with a Elana Brueggemann kill gave DePaul the 9-6 advantage, forcing a Bears timeout. DePaul ended up in a 17-21 deficit and called a timeout in the crucial moments but dropped the first set 20-25.
SET TWO » The back-and-forth battle continued until Brittany Maxwell broke the Blue Demons away into a 6-4 lead on a kill and a service ace. The Bears would come back and the lead would swap. A kill from Avarie Evans-Allen paired with a Natalie Hayward service ace would give DePaul a 18-14 lead, forcing a Bears timeout. DePaul called a timeout being down by one at set point but the Bears would take the second set 26-24.
SET THREE » Nelson struck the first kill of the set for the second time in the contest. The Bears would quickly grab the lead that doubled to 8-4 and continued to expand. MSU continued to double DePaul's score until a pair of errors along with a Nelson kill closed in on the deficit, forcing a Bears timeout. Four-consecutive MSU attack errors out of the stoppage brought the Blue Demons back to an even playing field with the score knotted 12-12. With both teams fighting, the lead would alternate throughout the remainder of the set and a Nelson kill would have the final say as DePaul took its first set 25-22.Â
SET FOUR » MSU grabbed the first point but a couple of errors along with an Emma Price kill, Donna Brown service ace and a block from the pairing of Evans-Allen and Maxwell put DePaul ahead on a 5-0 run. Kills from Evans-Allen and Brown quickly expanded the lead to 9-4, forcing a MSU timeout. DePaul continued to hold a comfortable lead and a kill from Maxwell instigated another Bears timeout with the Blue Demons leading 17-9. DPU would continue to maintain the distance and took the set 25-15, leveraging things after a 2-0 deficit and forcing a fifth set.Â
SET FIVE » Points were exchanged back and forth until a 2-0 run gave MSU a 8-6 lead going into the media timeout. MSU would maintain a narrow lead until a block from the duo of Evans-Allen and Maxwell brought the Demons within one at 11-12, forcing a Bears timeout. DePaul called a timeout in the final moments and went on a 3-0 run out of the stoppage on kills from Evans-Allen, Maxwell and Nelson to bring DePaul to set point and force a final MSU timeout. The score would knot once again at 14-14 but a kill from Norris and a MSU attack error would help DePaul complete the tournament sweep with a final set score of 16-14.Â
LEADERS
- Kills » Emma Price (11)
- Assists » Katie Dolan (25)
- Digs » Isabelle Banez (21)
- Blocks » Avarie Evans-Allen (12)
- Aces » Natalie Hayward, Brittany Maxwell, Isabelle Banez (2)
NEXT UP
The Blue Demons will travel southwest to Peoria, Ill. and compete in the CEFCU Invitational where they will face three different opponents. On Friday Sept. 6, DePaul will play in contests against Oakland at 10 a.m. CT and Belmont at 4:30 p.m. CT. DPU will play one final contest Saturday Sept. 7 against host Bradley at 2 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.
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.
