DAYTON, Ohio – In a battle to the end, the University of Dayton volleyball team secured its 12th Atlantic 10 Regular Season Title with a 3-2 (16-25, 25-17, 21-25, 27-25, 17-15) win over George Washington at Frericks Center Friday night. Dayton extends its nation's longest overall winning streak to 19 matches (tied with Arkansas State) and its nation's longest conference winning streak to 22 matches. UD is now 21-5 on the season and a perfect 12-0 in A-10 play while George Washington moves to 18-9 overall and 7-4 in league action.
STATS OF THE MATCH• Senior
Alaina Turner led three Flyers in double-digit kills with a match-high 20 terminations. She also had eight digs, five blocks and three service aces for an all-around match.
• Also in double-figures kills were senior
Jill Loiars (11) and sophomore
Amber Erhahon (10). Erhahon led the Flyers with seven blocks in the match.
• Senior
Janna Krafka passed a match-high 29 digs and sophomore
Jane Emmenecker set 46 assists for UD.
• George Washington was led by Chidima Osuchukwu with the 18-kill, 14-block double-double. Jordan Timmer also had a double-double for the Colonials with 51 assists and 15 digs.
• The Colonials posted 64 kills to the Flyers' 57 and GW narrowly out-hit UD, .174 to .161. At the net, George Washington tallied 14 team blocks to Dayton's 12.5
SET-BY-SET• Set One: George Washington scored the first four points of the first set and the Colonial lead was six at 9-3. A 5-1 GW run pushed the lead to nine, 14-5, but a 3-0 UD spurt cut the advantage to six, 14-8. Back-to-back Turner service aces came in the middle of a 4-0 Flyer run to get to within three, 19-16, but the Colonials scored the last six points of the frame to take the set, 25-16.
• Set Two: The second set was tied three times when the game reached 6-6 and an Agu-Loiars block capped a 4-0 Dayton run to put the Flyers ahead, 9-6. The Flyer lead was five, 15-10, after another UD double block and a kill by Jendryk put Dayton ahead six, 19-13. Emmenecker served up an ace for set point and a Colonial attack error gave the Flyers the set, 25-17.
• Set Three: The seventh tie of the set came at 9-9 when George Washington went on a 5-0 run to jump ahead, 14-9. Trailing five, 19-14, Dayton used a 6-1 run to knot the set at 20 points apiece. George Washington scored the last three points of the game to win set three, 25-21, and take a 2-1 match lead.
• Set Four: Dayton jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fourth set but George Washington rallied to even the set at eight-all. Five ties later and the set was square at 15 but Dayton scored three in a row to regain a three-point, 18-15 lead. The game was tied again at 20-20 and the two squads traded points. Dayton reached set point at 24-23 and George Washington signaled for timeout. Out of the break, it would take extra points, but Dayton held on for the 27-25 win to send it to five.
• Set Five: The Flyers were able to get ahead by two points twice but the Colonials put together a 6-0 rally to move in front 10-6. Dayton rallied to tie the set at 12-12 on an Erhahon-Jendryk block and pulled ahead, 13-12, on a kill from Turner. The deciding set would be tied twice more before Turner served up an ace and Loiars laid down a kill to give Dayton the 17-15 fifth-set win as the Flyers claimed a 3-2 match win.
UP NEXT• In its last home match of the season, Dayton will play host to George Mason Sunday for Senior Day. First serve is set for 1 p.m. at Frericks Center and admission is free.
