University of Dayton Athletics

DAYTON – The University of Dayton volleyball team made a comeback to defeat George Washington in five sets on Friday night (25-19, 26-28, 22-25, 25-14, 15-10).

With a narrow 9-8 lead, the Flyers went on a six-point run to widen their lead to 15-8. The run was predominantly junior Abigail Cresse and freshman Natalie Harrington, as both recorded a kill in the run. Cresse also tallied a solo block, with Harrington getting an ace. George Washington was able to put the first set within four at 22-18, but kills by Cresse and freshman Sidney Sprada earned Dayton the first set.

Dayton trailed by two late in the second set, 20-18, before going on a five-point run. Senior Kamryn Hunt had two kills and a block assist with sophomore Addi Gallentine. Graduate Rylee Sloss tied the set with an ace, helping to tip the set in the Flyers' favor, 23-18. The Revolutionaries tied the set at 24 apiece, preventing set point and earning their first set point of their own at 26-25. Cresse recorded a kill to tie the set again, but George Washington strung together two points to win the second.

Set three was another close set with 15 tie scores and three lead changes. Kills from Gallentine, Sloss and sophomore Charlotte Vinson tied the set at 20-20, but George Washington continued to outplay the Flyers to take a 2-1 set lead.

 With a 5-3 lead, UD went on a six-point run with a kill from Vinson, an ace for Sloss and three consecutive attack errors for George Washington for an 11-3 lead. The Revolutionaries narrowed the Dayton lead to 17-11, but kills for Cresse and Gallentine and an ace for sophomore Emily Harden, along with an attack error, gave the Flyers a 10-point advantage. Ahead 23-14, a kill for Sprada and a block assist for Cresse and senior Gabriela Machin Borges forced a fifth set.

George Washington took a 5-3 lead in the fifth, before Dayton pulled ahead 6-5 on a kill for Hunt and a pair of attack errors for the Revolutionaries. With the score tied at six all, Hunt began another Dayton run, going up by three again with an ace of her own. The Flyers held onto their lead through the rest of the set, winning on kills by Cresse and Hunt.

BY THE NUMBERS
20 – Kills for Kamryn Hunt, leading the Flyers

3 – Service aces for Natalie Harrington, contributing to Dayton's eight total aces

3 – Flyers with double-digit digs: Sidney Sprada (15), Lily Barry (11) and Rylee Sloss (11)

4 – Total blocks for Addi Gallentine

UP NEXT
Dayton will take on the Revolutionaries again on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. in the Frericks Center.