MANHATTAN, Kan. — Dallas Christian College women's volleyball opened its 2026 season this weekend at the Thunder Invitational in Manhattan, Kansas, competing against Sterling College and host Manhattan Christian College. The Crusaders showed improvement throughout the day, bouncing back from a three-set loss in the opener to push Manhattan Christian to five sets in the nightcap.

Dallas Christian fell to Sterling 3-0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-19) before battling Manhattan Christian in a 3-2 loss (25-16, 22-25, 25-15, 26-28, 15-10).

Sterling 3, Dallas Christian 0

The Crusaders faced a tough Sterling squad in their season opener and improved as the match progressed, scoring 10 points in the opening set, 15 in the second and 19 in the third.

Freshman Jamie Maddy provided the biggest offensive spark for Dallas Christian, recording a team-high 11 kills on 44 attacks while adding six digs.

Rosalind Spikes contributed four kills, while Kinsley Jackson finished with three kills. Rylie Goff added a kill, a service ace and eight digs.

Defensively, libero Alyssa Carreras led the Crusaders with 12 digs, while Goff added eight and Lanie Wink collected seven. Setter Zoelley Herrera finished with 12 assists and five digs.

Dallas Christian totaled 21 kills, 19 assists, 40 digs and two service aces in the opener.

Manhattan Christian 3, Dallas Christian 2

The Crusaders responded with a much stronger performance in their second match of the day.

After dropping the opening set 25-16, Dallas Christian answered by taking the second 25-22 to even the match. Manhattan Christian regained control with a 25-15 victory in the third, but DCC refused to go away.

Facing the possibility of a four-set defeat, the Crusaders battled through a back-and-forth fourth set and pulled out a 28-26 victory, forcing a decisive fifth set. Manhattan Christian ultimately secured the match with a 15-10 win in the finale.

Maddy again paced the DCC offense with 13 kills, giving her 24 kills across the first two matches of the season. She also recorded 11 digs and contributed at the net with a solo block and block assist.

Jackson had a strong second match with nine kills, while Herrera showed her versatility with eight kills, 15 assists, four service aces and 13 digs. Madalynn King and Spikes each contributed four kills.

Carreras anchored the back row with a match-high 21 digs for Dallas Christian and added two service aces. Goff recorded 13 digs and 17 assists, while Maddy added 11 digs as three Crusaders reached double figures defensively.

Serving proved to be another bright spot as Dallas Christian finished with 12 aces. Herrera led the way with four, Emma Martinez added three, and Carreras and Goff each had two.

The Crusaders nearly doubled their offensive production from the opener, finishing the five-set match with 41 kills, 40 assists and 69 digs.

Although Dallas Christian finished the opening day without a victory, the Crusaders showed noticeable growth from their first match to their second. DCC went from 21 kills against Sterling to 41 against Manhattan Christian and responded to adversity by winning two sets and extending the host Thunder to five.

Maddy highlighted the opening day with 24 total kills, while Carreras combined for 33 digs across the two matches. Herrera totaled 27 assists, eight kills, four aces and 18 digs, helping lead the Crusaders on both sides of the ball.

Dallas Christian College closed out play at the Thunder Invitational on Saturday with a hard-fought 3-0 loss to Cottey College, falling 25-15, 27-25 and 28-26.

After dropping the opening set, the Crusaders responded with two tightly contested frames, pushing Cottey beyond 25 points in both the second and third sets.

Freshman Jamie Maddy led the Dallas Christian attack with nine kills and 12 digs, while Kinsley Jackson added seven kills. Zoelley Herrera contributed five kills, 16 assists, 17 digs and two service aces in an all-around effort.

Defensively, Alyssa Carreras led the Crusaders with a match-high 21 digs, while Rylie Goff added 11 digs and 11 assists. Dallas Christian finished the match with 77 total digs and six service aces.

The Crusaders will be back home on Thursday, Sep. 3 at 6 p.m. for its home opener against Cedar Valley College.