The Dallas Baptist University Volleyball Team claimed their first ever Heartland Conference Tournament Championship and NCAA South Central Regional berth on Saturday, November 14, as they defeated St. Edward's University, 3-2.

With the win, DBU improves their overall season record to 20-16, and finish their 2009 Heartland Conference campaign with a conference record of 12-4. The Lady Patriots came out strong in the championship match as they grabbed the first set in convincing fashion, 25-16, to take an early 1-0 lead.

St. Edward's won the second set, 25-20, to tie the match, 1-1. Then the Lady Hilltoppers went on to take the lead, 2-1, as they pulled out a thrilling third set, 32-30.

DBU kept their composure in the fourth set, as they were able to win 25-17 to force the match into a fifth set tiebreaker.

The Lady Patriots jumped out to a quick lead in the fifth, before the Lady Hilltoppers were able to claw their way back to tie the set, 13-13. St. Edward's looked to have the momentum, but DBU scored two straight points to win the fifth set 15-13, and capture the match, 3-2.

Sophomore Kaylyn Frink led the Lady Patriots in the win as she had an impressive night on both sides of the ball. Frink tied her season high in kills, putting down a total of 21 attacks. She also recorded 25 defensive digs in the match. Frink was named the 2009 Heartland Conference Most Valuable Player for her play throughout the weekend. She recorded 32 kills and 35 digs in the Lady Patriots two tournament wins.

Seniors Erin Black and Amanda Emmert also had outstanding defensive performances, as they were able to dig 22 and 24 Lady Hilltopper attacks respectively.

Senior Lauren Zegarelli and Sophomore Kristin Secord were on the heels of Frink on the offensive side of the ball as Zegarelli put down 17 kills hitting for a .405 average, while Secord recorded 15 kills of her own for a .263 hitting average.

The Lady Patriots are headed to the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament set for November 19-21. The location of the tournament is soon to be announced so continue to check back at www.dbu.edu/athletics for updates.