THE LEAD
The Lady Patriots put together an incredible fight with a depleted roster Thursday night. They may have lost in 5 sets against a tough Newman team but DBU showed a lot of heart. The Lady Patriots we led by Carly Hess who recorded a match leading 20 kills. DBU also got notable performances by Hannah Hester who led the team with 28 assists and Lauren Nicks who led the match with 33 digs.
 
The Lady Patriots held a steady lead throughout the beginning of the first set and even enjoyed a 10-16 lead at one point. However, with 4 straight points Newman clawed back into the game as the two teams battled it out until the finish line. The game got tied up at 24 apiece and Newman closed it out with the final 2 hard earned points. NU stole the first set 26-24. 
 
Both teams were flying around the court and hustling for every point in the second set. The set began with three ties until DBU gained some ground and got out to an 11-16 lead. Newman fought their way back into the game and tied it back up at 20 with several hard-earned points. The Lady Patriots fired on all cylinders to close out the second set with a 5-1 run to seal the 21-25 victory.
 
The third set began like the other sets; the two teams traded blows until the set was tied up at 8 apiece. Newman pulled away and gained a 15-10 until DBU roared back into the game trailing by just one point at 16-15. The Lady Patriots persisted throughout the rest of the set and kept the game tight but were never able to surpass NU. Newman took the third set 25-21.
 
The fourth set started with seven different tied scores until DBU went on a 5-1 run to give them an 11-15 lead. The Lady Patriots really gained the momentum when they scored 6 consecutive points to give them a 12-21 lead. The Lady Patriots forced a fifth set with a 17-25 impressive win.
 
With a 6-5 lead in the fifth set, Newman started to inch away with four straight points to give them a 10-5 lead. DBU made their way back into the game as they trailed 9-12 but NU was able to score the last three to give them the 15-9 set and match win.
 
COACH KOKEL IS PROUD OF HER TEAM
"We have another injury, another player playing somewhere she shouldn't be playing, we have players we didn't know we would have to rely on so much this year and it is just hard. I am actually really proud of that game tonight. I really shouldn't have been that tight if you look at who is on the court and where they have to play. I am actually so proud of them because they have so much heart."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.147 – Hitting Percentage by DBU
102 – Digs by DBU to NU's 99
61 – Kills by NU to DBU's 58
8 – Blocks by NU to DBU's 7
6 – Aces by NU to DBU's 1
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Lady Patriots are back at the Burg Center Saturday at noon. DBU's matchup against UA Fort Smith will close out their 5-game home stand.