The Dallas Christian College volleyball team finished the regular season at home with a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Randall University on Saturday. All five sets were determined by three points or less, including the final two DCC victories by the minimal margin. The scores were 27-25, 22-25, 25-22, 24-26, 13-15 favoring the Crusaders.
Dallas Christian improved to 8-6 on the year, while the Saints dropped to 6-6 overall.
A quartet of Crusaders reached double-digits in kills led by Elizabeth Morrow with 13. She was followed by Christen Downey with 12, Lauren Baker with 11, and Summer Doty with 10. Morrow and Baker earned double-doubles in kills and digs by adding 16 and 15, respectively in the latter category. Kelly Graves and Hannah Gallegos also notched double-doubles in assists and digs with Graves posting a personal-best 26 assists to go with 11 digs. Gallegos eclipsed 20 assists and 10 digs to reach the feat. Caitlyn Yablon tallied a season-high 41 digs and had three service aces.
Prior to the match, Dallas Christian recognized its two seniors Anca Pintiliuc and Doty. It was a wonderful atmosphere and a huge triumph for the Crusaders on their big day.
The opening set favored the Crusaders throughout, as the home team led by as many as five on a couple occasions, including a 21-16 edge. Randall took advantage of a hitting error and got a kill from Andi Fudge and ace by Teagan Hamilton that forced a DCC timeout. The score was closed to 21-20 before Cameron Del Angel notched a kill to end the run. The rest of the set was back and forth, as Doty and Morrow scored consecutive kills but the winning point was elusive as Randall claimed the opening frame.
DCC did not get down though, as it rattled off four straight points twice to secure eight-of-10 points to start the second set. Despite leading by as many as nine (17-8), the Saints once again crept back using a 6-1 stretch before the Crusaders clinched the set to level the score.
It was Randall's turn to boast a large lead in the third set, taking an 8-2 edge. After the Crusaders scraped back thanks to five points in a row, the scoreboard was tied nine times after a 13-13 juncture and saw neither side lead by more than two points until the visitors scored the last three points to take a 2-1 edge.
Needing a win to stay alive, the Crusaders held an early lead in the fourth, but it was another nail-biting finish. Down 21-19, Morrow, Baker, and Gallegos sent a trio of kills to go in front and force a visiting timeout. DCC netted the next two points (24-21), but the Saints forced a tie. A huge block by Downey and Maya Harrington ended the set to lift the Crusaders and swung the momentum back on their side.
Six kills accounted for DCC's first eight points in the last set, which counted half from Downey. An 8-4 lead evaporated to one point before some Randall errors gave DCC a three-point lead. Randall never got closer than a point the last six serves as the team's traded points until Downey pummeled the last point to secure the dramatic victory.
Fudge led the Saints with 18 kills and chipped in 20 digs for a double-double. Four players had at least 20 digs to help the team's 111 total. DCC was one shy in the digs column with 110.
Dallas Christian will wait to find out its seeding in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) Regional hosted at Arlington Baptist University on November 5-6.
