DAYTON, Ohio — The Santa Clara University women's volleyball team fell to Dayton in a 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 23-25, 21-25) result on Saturday at the Frericks Center. The Broncos recorded 49 kills and 44 digs in the match.
Morgan Hayes led the Broncos (0-3) with 19 kills on 37 attempts, recording four block assists.
Cate Shanahan added 11 kills and one service ace.
Macy Hinshaw orchestrated the offense with 43 assists, supporting the team's attack.
Lexi Trapani collected 21 digs to anchor the back line.
Santa Clara opened the first set strongly, capitalizing on multiple attack errors by Dayton's Sidney Sprada to take an early 2-0 lead. The Broncos maintained their momentum with key blocks, including a crucial one by Hayes and
Bryn Shankle against Kamryn Hunt, extending the lead to 5-1. Despite Dayton's attempts to close the gap, a service ace by Shanahan and a kill by Hayes pushed Santa Clara ahead, 18-16.
Santa Clara continued to press its advantage, with
Selin Aslayan's kill from Hinshaw marking a pivotal moment late in the set, securing a 22-18 lead. The visitors sealed the set with a 25-20 victory, concluded by
Allison Dzieciuch's decisive kill.
In the second set, Dayton's (2-0) offensive performance, including contributions from Sprada and Gabriela Machin Borges, allowed it to widen the lead. Santa Clara's offense rallied late with decisive kills from Hayes and Aslayan, inching closer at 24-19. Ultimately, Dayton clinched the set with a final score of 25-19.
Santa Clara began the third set with strong momentum, highlighted by Hinshaw's service ace. Hayes contributed significantly with multiple kills, including a pivotal one at 14-11, assisted by Hinshaw. Despite building a 17-13 advantage, Santa Clara faced a resilient comeback from Dayton, which tied the score at 18-18. However, a late surge by Dayton, capped by a service ace, concluded the set at 25-23 in favor of Dayton.
Santa Clara opened the fourth set with a kill by Hayes, setting the stage for early momentum. A service error by Dayton and a series of successful kills, including two by Aslayan, helped Santa Clara build a 5-2 lead. However, Dayton responded, closing the gap to 6-6 with key plays. The Broncos led as late as 19-17, looking to force a fifth and deciding set, but the Flyers closed with an 8-2 run to win the set, 25-21, and clinch the match.
Kamryn Hunt led Dayton with 18 kills on 40 attempts, maintaining a .275 hitting percentage. Sidney Sprada added depth to the team's scoring efforts, with 12 kills and 11 digs. Rylee Sloss recorded 21 assists, while Natalie Harrington contributed 19 assists and added three aces from the service line.
The Broncos will travel to face Cincinnati at 4 p.m. PDT Tuesday. Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
