THE RUNDOWN
DBU (7-1) knocked off Southeastern Oklahoma State (5-8) 3-1 in a non-conference matchup in Durant, Oklahoma on Tuesday night. Halee Van Poppel put up a double-double (15 kills, 13 digs), Leah Palensky picked up 21 digs, and the Lady Patriots have now won five straight for the first time since stringing together six wins from September 10-September 20, 2019.
 
Neither team could create separation early, with the Savage Storm holding a 14-12 lead halfway through the opening set. Following a timeout, DBU rattled off a 9-0 run and didn't look back. A Price Reeves kill put the Lady Patriots on set point, and then a Southeastern service error gave DBU the 25-17 win.
 
The second set started in similar fashion, with neither team holding a lead larger than three points until consecutive points from Alyssa Parks gave DBU a 14-10 edge. Leah Palensky helped fuel another Lady Patriots run, dishing an assist to Halee Van Poppel before notching a service ace to extend DBU's lead to 21-14. The Savage Storm would not go down without a fight, but Audrey Nunes eventually clinched the 25-19 victory to put coach Jordan Fish's squad up 2-0 on the road.
 
DBU never led in the third frame, only tied at 1-1 and then at 10-10. A pair of 6-0 Storm runs separated by a Van Poppel kill and a Parks and Reeves double-team block gave Southeastern an insurmountable lead. A comeback rally fell short in the 20-25 defeat.

Set four was a different story, as the Lady Patriots jumped out to a 7-2 advantage. Both teams exchanged scorings stretches, but DBU kept enough distance to stay on top and end the match with a 25-20 victory.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
 - With a team-high 15 kills, Halee Van Poppel has now led DBU in kills in all eight matches this season.
 - Audrey Nunes notches a career-high 13 kills in tonight's win. 
 - Aryn Walton (21) and Kayla Brock (19) have both recorded double-digit assists in five consecutive games.  
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3 – Solo blocks by Alyssa Parks.
.314 – Audrey Nunes' hitting percentage on 35 total attacks.
5 – DBU's current win streak.

COACH JORDAN FISH ON THE TEAM'S MINDSET AND FOCUS DURING THIS WIN STREAK
"Our mindset was no different tonight that for a conference match. We prepare and compete the same. We have done a great job of channeling our excitement about the win streak into hunger and drive to be better every day."
 
UP NEXT
DBU will travel to Laredo, Texas, to face Texas A&M International at 6:00 pm CT on Friday, October 8.