THE RUNDOWN
DBU (15-13, 7-9) pulled ahead of Texas A&M International (5-18, 0-8) during senior day at the Burg Center on Saturday.
 
The DBU offense came out strong in the first set posting six kills to lead 9-5. The Lady Patriots kept a four-point advantage for most of the set, but a 6-0 run by the Dustdevils closed the gap to 21-19.  The Dustdevils kept the momentum to tie the set at 24-24 before pulling ahead to win 27-25.
 
Both teams picked up where they left off in the second set battling to get ahead by more than one point. There were five ties before DBU pulled ahead by three at 10-7 with the help of a couple kills by Kasey Holand and Carly Earnest. The Lady Patriots seemed to find their footing to extend their lead by double-digits after a series of kills and Dustdevil errors. Two final errors by the Dustdevils gave DBU the advantage to win 25-16. Freshman Lexie Pettitte made her first debut as a Lady Patriot. Lexie Houston topped the leaderboard with a .625 hitting percentage on the match.
 
It was another battle to see who could take the lead in the third set, but it was the Dustdevils who pulled ahead by six at 13-7. The Lady Patriots rallied back to tie the game at 21-21 backed by a couple kills from Carly Earnest. It was a fight to the end, but the Dustdevils took the set, 25-23. Emma Eakin's performance put her at the top of the leaderboard with 13 kills after the third set.
 
DBU jumped out to an early six-point lead in the fourth set after a 6-0 run put the team on top at 10-4. The Lady Patriots had a good run to extend their lead by eight at 17-9, but it wasn't enough to stop the Dustdevil offense as they rallied back to close the score at 22-20. A final 3-0 run by DBU topped with a kill by Brooke Clark put the Lady Patriots on top 25-20.
 
There was little breathing room in the fifth set as both teams matched each other's effort. The Dustdevils pulled ahead by three at 7-4, but it wasn't enough to stop DBU as they came back to tie the set at 8-8 to force a timeout. The Lady Patriots snuck ahead by five at 14-9 and a final block by seniors Emma Eakin and Kasey Holand took the team to a win at 15-10.
 
KEY STORYLINES
-DBU notched their 12^th win inside the Burg Center for the season
-Savannah Whitfield posted her first service ace of her career
-Freshman Lexie Pettitte made her first debut as a Lady Patriot
-Strealy Sizelove posted a season-high 38 assists
 
HEAD COACH CATHY KOKEL ON THE TEAM'S MENTALITY 
"We went into the game a little cocky after last night's win, but Texas A&M International is a good athletic team and at this level nothing is going to come easy. The losses we did have weren't due to errors, but we had to get over a mental hump. I'm proud of the team for making that a lesson during the game instead of having to learn after a loss."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
12^th- Win at the Burg Center for the season
25^th- Win against Texas A&M International since 2006
100- Digs on the match
 
UP NEXT
DBU will hit the road for a Friday night matchup against Lubbock Christian inside the Rip Griffin Center on November 15 at 6:00 p.m.