THE RUNDOWN
DBU Volleyball completed their road portion of the 2023 calendar with a four-set victory over St. Mary's in San Antonio on Saturday afternoon. The win gives the Lady Patriots their second consecutive season with at least 20 wins.
 
Neither squad took firm control in the opening frame. After an 8-8 start, the lead swayed between DBU (20-6, 12-2) and the Rattlers (11-15, 6-9), but neither side went ahead by more than three in the set. A combined three timeouts were called in the last nine points, but the Lady Patriots pieced together a 6-1 finish to take the first set.
 
DBU kept the momentum in the early stages of the second, going up 8-3 in a hurry. The Lady Patriots' defense played a key role in the frame, holding St. Mary's to a -.033 hitting percentage. Besides losing the first rally, DBU never trailed in the frame to set themselves up for a sweep.
 
The Rattlers took the reins with a 4-0 start to set three, but the Lady Patriots fought back to level the score at nine. The two opponents exchanged bunches of points for nearly the rest of the frame, and St. Mary's stayed alive with a closing five-point stretch to force a fourth set.
 
Set four came up all navy and red. DBU acquired a 10-point advantage at 13-3 and maintained a double-digit difference until the end of the set, securing a final road victory for the Lady Patriots in their 2023 campaign.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU finishes the season with a 6-4 road record. It marks the third consecutive year the Lady Patriots earned a winning record on the road.
- St. Mary's loss removes the Rattlers from LSC Tournament contention.
- Delaney Fuller (17 kills, 11 digs) tallied her eighth double-double of the season on Saturday.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
20 - The Lady Patriots claim back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2008-09.
10 - Delaney Fuller (game-high 20.0 points), Shaylee Shore (17.0) points, and Karly Wells (12.0 points) totaled double-digit points for the second consecutive match.
10 - With 10 aces on Saturday, DBU now has six matches this year with at least as many.

HEAD COACH JORDAN FISH ON SATURDAY'S MATCH AND THE FINAL MATCHES OF THE REGULAR SEASON
"Always grateful for a win on the road. St. Mary's played extremely well defensively, and I am proud of how we battled through. We are excited about having our last two conference matches at home! Let's pack The Burg!"
 
UP NEXT
DBU wraps up the regular season with home matches against Angelo State on Friday and UT Permian Basin on Saturday. Read Full Article