COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After dropping the first two sets, the Ladies led by as much as 11 in the third before the Crusaders rallied as Centenary (11-12, 3-5 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) fell to Dallas (15-8, 5-4 SCAC) 25-21, 25-20, 29-27 at the Colorado College crossover Friday night, October 12.
Trailing by a pair of sets, Centenary scored the first eight points of the third. Senior Michaela Brantley began the set with a kill before classmate Shyann Pisano went on a service run. Two aces, two kills from freshman Alyssa Davis, two Dallas hitting errors, and a kill from freshman Elizabeth Epley put Centenary up eight. Later up 9-2, kills from Epley and freshman Rachel Demerjian around an ace from freshman Kristian Loving expanded the lead to 12-2.
Pisano narrowly missed her second collegiate double-double with 11 kills and nine digs, while Epley also added nine kills. Demerjian totaled a triple-double with 35 assists and 15 digs.
With Dallas down 15-4, a 15-2 run put the Crusaders on top. Three kills and a Centenary hitting error pulled Dallas within seven. After the two teams split the next four points, eight straight on Ellise Anable's serve – including two blocks and two kills from Anna Stevenson – gave Dallas the lead.
With the Crusaders on match point, 24-23, kills from Brantley and Pisano gave Centenary set point. Later tied at 27, kills from Isabel Garcia and Dayjah White for Dallas ended the match.
Whyte tallied a match best 12 kills, while Garcia added 10 for Dallas. Stevenson contributed five blocks and six kills, while Elizabeth Smith tallied a double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs.
Centenary closes out the weekend with a pair of matches in Colorado Saturday, October 13. The Ladies take on Johnson & Wales at 11 a.m. (10 a.m. MDT) before taking on #5 Colorado College at 3 p.m. (2 p.m. MDT).