NEW ORLEANS – Blessing Dunn became the first student-athlete since 1995 and fourth in University of New Orleans volleyball history to reach 1,000 career kills and digs in the 3-2 victory over the University of the Incarnate Word (6-16, 4-8 Southland) Saturday afternoon in the Human Performance Center.
Entering Saturday, the Privateers ranked No. 11 in NCAA Division I in total blocks and finished with 11.0. Dunn finished with sixth kills and eight digs and
Andrea Nava added a career-high 40 digs.
Rhyan Rand and
Kaitlyn Grice led the Privateers with 11 kills apiece and combined for 10 blocks.
Kyra Hunter posted nine kills and four blocks.
SET ONE
Two Grice kills highlighted a 6-0 UNO run to put the Privateers in front 6-1 early. UIW and New Orleans traded points with the Cardinals taking an 11-10 lead.
Grice's third kill of the game erased the brief Incarnate Word lead and knotted things at 15-all. Down two, the Privateers again tied the set on
Ehize Omoghibo's kill and a UIW error.
Following a timeout trailing 22-20, Hunter's kill and a UIW ball handling error blanked the road team's lead. Rand came out of the break with an ace and the momentum was all in favor of the Privateers as the set ended on 5-0 run with Grice and Hunter's block putting the stamp on the 25-22 opening set win.
New Orleans tallied three blocks and limited UIW to .088 hitting. Offensively, Grice and Omoghibo led the way with three kills apiece. Hunter and Grice collected two assisted blocks and Rand and Grice registered service aces.
SET TWO
The Cardinals jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Two kills from Rand sandwiched by a Hunter point put UNO ahead 7-6.
Moments later,
Samantha Uline's kill and
Brianna Vega's arm made it 16-14 Privateers as the HPC faithful rose to their feet.
Grice and Omoghibo's block made it 22-18 in a 5-1 New Orleans run. An attack error sent us into the third set ahead 2-0 following a 25-23 win.
SET THREE
UIW looked to force a fourth set and halfway through set No. 3, led 17-14. The Cardinals increased the lead to 22-17.
Incarnate Word hit .231 en route to a 25-18 win but New Orleans entered No. 4 ahead 2-1.
SET FOUR
The Privateers took an early 4-1 lead, beginning with Rand's kill on the over.
Four unanswered points by the Blue and Silver extended the lead to 10-5.
Sarah Thomas' ace forced a UIW timeout with UNO leading 14-10, following the back-to-back-to-back points.
Grice and Vega continued to stand tall in the front, tallying their sixth and third block, respectively, as the Privateers led 20-16, prior to the Cardinals' final timeout.
The set was 22-18 UNO prior to six consecutive points for UIW, giving the road club a two-point lead heading into the final timeout of the set. The Cardinals assisted block forced a fifth set for the 11
th time this season (4-6 in five-set matches heading into Saturday).
SET FIVE
A back and forth set highlighted by Dunn's 1,000 career kill put the Privateers in front 13-11.
NEXT UP
New Orleans begins the second half of Southland play at Sam Houston State University Tuesday. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
INSIDE THE BOX
Thomas' 40 assists and Nava's 40 digs were match highs. The 11
th fifth-set match of the season tied the total in 1983 for most five-set matches in a single season.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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