THE RUNDOWN
DBU (7-2) defeated St. Mary's (3-6) in straight sets on Thursday night at The Burg Center to begin its weekend in the Lone Star Conference Crossover. In their 2022 home debut, the Lady Patriots dominated on both sides of the net, securing season-bests in hitting percentage (.395) and opponent hitting percentage (-.024).
 
DBU came out of the gates swinging. Leading 16-7 in the first frame, the Lady Patriots forced the Rattlers to burn both of their timeouts within the first 25 points. With AJ Koele's 6 kills and a DBU hitting percentage of .565, St. Mary's couldn't stop the Lady Patriots' charge, and the DBU took the first set convincingly.
 
The Rattlers took their first advantage of the match by winning the first point of the second act, but DBU came raging back with a 10-3 run. The Lady Patriots then found themselves riddled with errors, handing St. Mary's their next six points to make it a 15-10 game. Koele took the offensive reigns and scored the next four DBU points with kills from the hands of setter Lauryn Burt, and the Lady Patriots claimed set two.
 
St. Mary's challenged in the third. After trailing 7-3, the Rattlers knotted the game at 9 and took a 10-9 lead. After some back-and-forth play, DBU took control, and a defense that held St. Mary's to only four kills in the set paved the way to a sweeping win for the Lady Patriots.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Shaylee Shore, a transfer from Rice, made her debut in a Patriot uniform on Thursday, registering 6 kills on .750 hitting.
- For the first time this year, DBU hit .300 or better in every set of a match.
- All but one of the Lady Patriots who played on Thursday recorded at least one dig.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
-.024 - For the first time since 2018, DBU held its opponent to a negative hitting percentage (September 29, 2018, vs. Newman).
2 - The Lady Patriots' service reception was in top form as they tied their season-low for receiving errors with only two.
3 – Three players recorded 6 or more kills while hitting .500 or better (Abby Phillips, Koele, and Shore).

JORDAN FISH ON THE ATMOSPHERE DURING THE HOME OPENER


UP NEXT
The Lady Patriots will take on the Lady Lions of Arkansas-Fort Smith in their second game of the Lone Star Conference Crossover in The Burg Center. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 pm.