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Volleyball Season Ends in 3-0 loss to Houston; Jakusz Ties C-USA record
Charlotte, N.C. - Having lost to the Blue Demons in five games the last two times the schools had met, Houston was able to grab a touch of revenge as they downed DePaul in three (15-4, 15-11, 16-14) at the Healthy Choice Conference USA Tournament.
The match was one that head coach Dawn Dockstader characterized as typical for the team this season. "That's how we've played all year," she said. "We haven't had all of our team show up and play versus the big teams. We've had someone play really well, but we've also had someone who doesn't. That was the difference between us and the top four teams this year; all of they're players played well in the big matches." For this chapter of the season, Katie Engel was the one providing the standout match. She registered 17 kills and 14 digs--both team highs-while hitting .400 on the evening. "Engel played big. That was the first match against a very good team where she played to where she is capable of playing," said Dockstader. After losing game one and trailing by as much as 10-1 in game two, Dockstader tinkered with her lineup to find something to jumpstart the team. Melissa Murphy and Lara Marks entered as subs and gave the team a lift when it needed one. "Murph really did a nice job. Her defense sparked us and got us back on track, and Marks has done that all year for us. She's come in and given us something every time she's gone in.," said Dockstader. Murphy picked up 10 digs and two service aces, while Marks added four kills and three blocks. Kara Jakusz accumulated 40 assists to give her 77 for the tournament. That total places her in a tie for the conference single season assist record with 1,723. First team all conference member Jennifer Wittenburg's match high 19 kills and 15 digs led Houston. Bobbi Stewart added 11 kills and Michele Frazier had 10 kills and nine blocks.
DePaul closes its season 21-11 (10-6 C-USA). Despite improving its record for the fourth consecutive year, the team remains disappointed with the end result. "We, as a whole, underachieved this year. We had set some goals that we didn't achieve and that will just give us more incentive when we get back to work on Jan. 5. We're going to work harder than we ever have before to improve on what we've accomplished this year," said Dockstader.
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