THE RUNDOWN
DBU (6-3) faced off against Midwestern State (2-6) Saturday evening for their first in-conference game of the 2019 season.  It was a clean sweep for the Lady Patriots giving them five straight wins.
 
Both offenses were strong in the first set as neither team could get an early advantage. The teams were tied 6-6, but two kills by Brooke Clark and a service ace took DBU to a 9-6 lead over the Mustangs. The Lady Patriots were able to pull ahead after three straight kills to give them a four-point lead over MSU. There was a two-point deficit going into the final point of the game, but a bad set by the Mustangs gave DBU the win, 25-22.
 
In the second set, neither team had much breathing room keeping a tied game for the first four points before the Mustangs pulled ahead, 6-4. A kill from Kasey Holand and an MSU error found the Lady Patriots tied again at 6-6, but they finally found some breathing room with a kill from Hannah Tawney leading them 10-7. The Mustangs bounced back to find themselves tied again at 10-10. DBU gained some momentum to give them a ten-point lead over MSU. The Mustangs were able to find themselves on a 4-0 run to bring the set to 22-16. It wasn't enough to get ahead as the Lady Patriots found themselves at the top of the leaderboard, 25-17.   
 
It was point-for-point in the final set, but it was the Lady Patriots who pulled ahead to give them an 8-4 lead over the Mustangs. Three kills and an MSU error widened the gap for DBU, but the Mustangs gave the Lady Patriots a fight. The Mustangs rallied back to a score of 14-9, but it wasn't enough to stop the Lady Patriots with another Holand kill and a service ace keeping DBU ahead. A 3-0 run by the Mustangs forced a DBU timeout, but the Lady Patriots kept up the fight to close-in on the win. Five straight points found DBU at the top of the leaderboard once again giving them a clean sweep for the night.
 
KEY STORYLINES
-Freshman Macey Winburn posted a career-high 12 aces
-Carly Earnest matched her career-high with 10 kills
-Lexie Houston clinched the top of the leaderboard with a .455 hitting percentage
 
HEAD COACH CATHY KOKEL ON THE IMPORTANCE OF FUNDAMENTALS
"We are able to progress from focusing on fundamentals to focusing more on strategy.  We're starting to figure out what offense to run to be more successful, what defense we need to run. Moving on from fundamentals to strategy is key and that's what's helping us come out on top."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
46-Totals kills compared the opponents 31
62-Total digs on the match
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Patriots will be back at home next Friday, September 20 to take on St. Mary's at 6:00 p.m. in the Burg Center.