LEWISTON, Idaho — The Bulldog Women's Volleyball team got off to a hot start to begin the 2023 campaign with a sweep (25-11, 25-12, 25-15) over Walla Walla University (Wash.).
"It was a great way to start off our season," Head Coach
Katie Lovett said. "I was really happy with the consistency of play today with everyone. We played with a lot of energy and urgency which was one of our goals."
Tonight's win marks the first season opening win for the Bulldogs since the start of the 2018 season. It is also the first season opening sweep since the 2017 season opener.
"We are super excited to get back to playing and start the season off strong with a win,"
Kaylee Fritz said. "Our goal going into this weekend was to come out competitive and disciplined and I think we did exactly that tonight. We are setting our standards high this year and I think going into tomorrow, we are going to just keep trying to raise that bar."
How It Happened
Kaylee Fritz had a hot hand in set one, serving the Bulldogs to an 8-0 lead over the Wolves. Though allowing the Wolves to sneak a few points, a kill from
Jordan Olson provided another boost to put the Bulldogs up 11-3.
Peyton Vogl followed up with a pair of aces and a big block in the front row from
Danyel Martin and
KayLee Kopp gave the Bulldogs a 14-3 lead. UMW continued to roll on to a 25-11 victory in set one.
Though trading points early on in set two, the Bulldogs continued to follow the same pattern from set one. Freshman
Sophie Worden recorded her first two aces as a Bulldog, while on her way to four aces on the night. The Bulldogs continued to hit a team average of .462 across the set, winning set two 25-12.
Jazi Smith rattled off back-to-back kills to start the third frame to put the Bulldogs out in front early. Despite the early boost from Smith, the Bulldogs trailed 8-9 to the Wolves. Smith and Martin combined for two kills and an assisted block to steal back the lead and put UMW back on top at 11-9. The Bulldogs went on to outscore the Wolves 14-6 down the stretch to finish the final set.
Notables
- The Bulldogs recorded a .358 hitting percentage across the three frames, recording their highest team hitting percentage since the Bulldogs' matchup with MSU-Northern back on Oct. 6, 2018 (.368).
- Smith led the Bulldogs in kills with 10, five digs, and two blocks. Martin followed shortly behind with nine kills and three blocks.
- Kopp and Kelsey Goddard led with ten digs apiece.
- Worden served up four aces, adding to a team total of 10 serving aces.
- Taylor Petersen recorded a career high of 15 assists.
Up Next
The Bulldogs stick around in Lewiston, Idaho for a matchup with host Lewis-Clark State. The game is set for 1 p.m. MT tomorrow. The Warriors enter the matchup with an overall record of 1-0 after they swept Walla Walla earlier today.
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