THE LEAD
DBU came into game 2 of their home opening doubleheader excited to put their earlier game against Colorado Christian behind them. The crowd was a major factor in this one and they helped the Lady Patriots make a few electrifying rallies in their contest against Texas A&M-Commerce University. The match-up pinned DBU'S strong defense versus A&M Commerce's versatile offense. The Lady Patriots followed behind the strong leadership of their seniors that stress a "never give up" mindset. Despite impressive comebacks and Sidnee Jo Fitzpatrick's unbelievable play, DBU was never able to catch A&M Commerce in three sets.
  
LADY PATRIOT LEADERS
Sidnee Jo Fitzpatrick recorded a match leading 12 kills, while Freshman Strealy Sizleove also led the match with 30 assists. Seniors Hannah Ballew, Holly Benoit, and Carly Hess' impact go beyond the stat sheet but Ballew's match leading 3 aces was a major plus as well.
 
DBU's ENTHUSIATIC CROWD A FACTOR
A home crowd is something the Lady Patriots have been lacking thus far this season and they played a pivotal role in several of DBU's monumental building runs.
 
MATCH-UP RECAP
A&M Commerce started the match strong in the first set holding the lead until DBU was able to fight back to tie at 12 points apiece. Following that, A&M Commerce took the game away with three-point run and a set solidifying 5-point run. The final for the first set was 25-17.
 
DBU came back in set two with a quick 0-4 lead. After that point, there was an amazing ten lead changes. Just when A&M Commerce would gain the lead, the Lady Patriots pulled the game back in their favor and this continued all the way to a tied score of 25-25. A&M Commerce, won the game with the final two points making the score 27-25.
 
In the third set, A&M Commerce enjoyed the lead most of the game but DBU's heart, leadership and the home court crowd advantage inspired a late comeback with 6 consecutive points. This tied the game up at 20-20. The Lady Patriots gained the lead at 25-24 but A&M Commerce roared ahead to win the set and match 27-25.
 
COACH'S QUOTE
Coach Kokel was asked about her teams persistent heart and she responded, "the leaders before the game called the team together to fight and you really saw that leadership come out. I am really proud of our seniors and Sidnee Jo, they came out fighting and competing and the team followed really well. We still need work on consistency, that is what's [hurting] us but overall we wanted to come in fighting and wanting to work hard and we saw that.
 
BETWEEN THE NUMBERS
.104 – Hitting Percentage by DBU
63 – Digs by TAMCU compared to DBU's 48
45 – Kills by TAMCU opposed to DBU's 35
 
WHAT'S NEXT
DBU is back on the road against Texas A&M Intentional on Thursday at 7 PM.