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Senior Amanda Cowdrey set a career-high .545 hitting percentage on Saturday. |
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – University of Dayton volleyball won its 10th consecutive match on Saturday afternoon after sweeping La Salle in straight sets at the Hayman Center (25-12, 25-16, 25-7).
Senior outside hitter Amanda Cowdrey registered a match-high 12 kills and 12 digs for her fifth double-double of the season and first in a three-set match. With no attacking errors on the day, the Brampton, Ontario native recorded a career-best .545 (12-0-22) hitting percentage – improving on a .500 (14-1-26) mark from Nov. 14, 2009, also against La Salle.
Five Flyers started for the first time of the season on Saturday, led by junior middle Anna Eytchison who recorded a .357 hitting percentage with six kills and a match-high five blocks. UD’s fresh starting lineup also included freshman middle Shayne Brown, senior outside hitter Tiffany Gaerke, freshman middle Megan Campbell and senior libero Rachel Broerman.
“We went with a lineup that we haven’t gone with this season and I thought we got stronger as the match went on,” Head Coach Kelly Sheffield said. “We are a deep team, and that is a good thing, but one of the tough things is that some players don’t get as many opportunities to play on this team. When they got their opportunity today they played really well.”
Even with the different lineup Dayton still stuck to its reputation as a strong defense by holding La Salle to a -.031 hitting percentage, and out gaining the Explorers in digs (47-to-32) and blocks (9.0-to-3.0).
Five of Campbell’s career-high six kills came in the first set as Dayton captured the opening set, 25-12. Campbell, a Versailles, Ohio native, also tied a career-high of four blocks to finish with 8.0 points on Saturday.
Dayton won the second set 25-16, after recording 15 kills on a .367 hitting percentage.
Freshman setter Allyson Morey served a 9-0 run in the third and final set – the longest of the match. Recording two aces during the rotation, with help from four Cowdrey kills, Morey guided UD to a decisive 13-2 lead. Dayton went on to win the third set 25-7, holding La Salle to a -.188 hitting percentage.
A handful of other Flyers also recorded season- or career-bests on Saturday. Brown recorded a career-high five kills on a .364 hitting percentage, also with a career-high three blocks. In her first start as the primary libero this season, Broerman recorded a career-high 15 digs. Gaerke set a season-high nine of kills and added a season-high of six digs.
Dayton (15-3, 6-0 A-10) wins the 27th consecutive meeting with La Salle (5-16, 0-4) to improve its overall series advantage to 27-0.
The Flyers return to action next Friday with a road match against perennial rival Xavier, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Coverage from Cincinnati can be heard on DaytonFlyers.com.
