THE RUNDOWN
DBU took down TAMIU 3-0 for their first home win on the year. It was a balanced game for the Lady Patriots, as they ended the game with more kills, aces, assists, and digs than the Lady Dustdevils. Surprisingly enough, the only main category DBU didn't lead in was blocks, which has been their bread and butter so far this year. This win also marked the first conference game for the Lady Patriots, so it's always nice to start conference play with a victory.

The first two sets of the match played out rather similar to each other. They both saw a close battle for a while, but eventually DBU would go on a bit of a run and hold onto the lead the rest of the way. In the first set, the score was close at 9-8 with DBU in the lead, but they quickly extended that lead and brought the score to 19-10. From there, TAMIU couldn't fight back and the Lady Patriots took the set 25-16. The second set remained tight most of the way. With DBU leading 19-17, DBU scored six of the next seven points, with Merci Perry getting two crucial kills in the process, to win the set 25-18. 

The third set saw the Lady Patriots take the lead from the first point and never relinquish it. DBU took an early 10-5 lead and they were eventually able to extend it to a 17-8 lead. With two kills from one of the team captains, Sidnee Jo Fitzpatrick, the Lady Patriots finished the job and won the set 25-16. Overall, this was a good confidence booster for the Lady Patriots. Not only was this the first home win, first conference win, but also the first game where DBU won without losing a set. 

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Lauren Nicks definitely helped lead the team tonight and had one of her best games of the season. The team captain finished with 15 digs and was all over the court defensively. Nicks had many impressive and difficult digs to keep the play alive. 
• The Lady Patriots, as a whole, really impressed tonight. Last week's game saw multiple small mistakes from DBU, but they definitely cleaned those up and played much cleaner tonight.
• The Lady Patriots also succeeded in capitalizing on the small mistakes committed by TAMIU. DBU didn't play overly aggressive, but when they saw a moment to attack they took advantage.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
25- Strealy Sizelove finished with a game-high 25 assists tonight and really helped distribute the offense.
15- The Lady Patriots ended with 15 more kills than the Lady Dustdevils.
4- The Lady Patriots also saw 4 players have at least five kills tonight.

UP NEXT
DBU will host another conference opponent this Saturday as they take on St. Mary's in The Burg at 12:00 p.m.