ST. GEORGE – This week in Dixie State sports saw DSU quarterback Griff Robles set school and conference records with his performance against Humboldt State. The volleyball team captured two out of three matches, losing only to highly-ranked BYU-Hawaii. The women’s soccer team continued its reign among Pacific West conference leaders with a comeback victory this week against Point Loma. Here’s the recap:
FOOTBALL
Senior quarterback Griff Robles accounted for 484 yards of total offense – the most for any single player – and became the first Dixie State back to rush for over 200 yards in a game since Sept. 2007 during the Red Storm’s 28-19 win over visiting Humboldt State in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Robles also became the first player in GNAC history to have over 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing in a single game. The signal-caller’s 217-yard rushing total was the second-highest total in DSU history, only trailing the 226 yards posted by Adam Wells against the Jacks six seasons ago.
The Red Storm improved to 3-5 overall and 3-4 in GNAC play, securing fourth place behind conference leaders Azusa Pacific, Central Washington and Western Oregon. Humboldt State dropped its eighth straight game in the 2013 season. Joe Don Duncan racked up 121 yards on four catches to lead the DSU receivers. Joel Davis netted 64 rush yards behind the stellar Robles effort. Jake Duncan led all defenders with 12 tackles with a sack. DeShawn Perkins ended with an interception and nine stops. Nick Largent added eight tackles.
Dixie State will head out on the road next week visiting Simon Fraser on Saturday (Nov. 2). Kickoff from Terry Fox Field is set for 3 p.m. MT (2 p.m. PT).
VOLLEYBALL
Looking like they were going to cruise to an easy three-set win, the Dixie State volleyball team needed five games as they were stretched by Hawaii Hilo 25-14, 25-20, 25-27, 22-25, 15-8 in a Pacific West Conference match on Oct. 24th at the HIlo Gymnasium. The Red Storm jumped on the Vulcans in the first game, by hitting a stellar .481 for the game and cruised to an easy 25-14 win. In the second game the Storm cooled a little, but still very effective as they hit .289 for the game and managed just four errors to win 25-20. In the third game, the Red Storm had serve at match point at 24-21, but managed to commit three straight attack errors that allowed UHH back into the match and steal the game 27-25. The Vulcans hung on and won game four 25-22 to force game five. In the fifth and deciding game, the Red Storm out to an early 5-0 lead, behind the serving of Shannon Young and led 8-3 at the intermission. DSU forced the Vulcans to eight attack errors in the final game and a negative .115 hitting percentage.cYoung led DSU with a team-high 15 kills and Maddie Rex added 11 kills. Shelby Sorenson had 45 assists and Haylee Wilkes added 19 digs. She was one of four DSU players with double digit digs. Rex had 16, Alex Anderson had 15, and Sorenson 12.
The following night, the team cruised to an easy 25-15, 25-15, 25-20 win over Hawaii Pacific at St. Andrew’s Priory in Honolulu. The Red Storm, for the second consecutive night, used solid hitting and stellar defense to overtake the Seawarriors (13-7, 7-5 PWC) for a Pacific West Conference victory. It marks the fourth consecutive victory for DSU. Middle blocker Makenzi Bird led the team to victory by hitting .625 for the match. She had a match-high 10 kills, committing zero errors in 16 attempts. She also added one block assist at the net. DSU jumped on top of HPU early with solid serving, using four service aces to help guide them to the win. The Red Storm committed just 10 errors in 94 attempts for a .266 hitting percentage for the match. Rex continued to pace her squad with eight kills. Alex Anderson had 10 digs and Kara Cotter added 11 digs. Shelby Anderson added 23 assists in the three set match.
On Saturday night the team lost to No. 5-ranked BYU-Hawaii in three games. 25-19, 25-17, 25-20 in Laie, Hawaii. The Red Storm (13-8/10-5 PWC) could not overcome the powerful hitters of the Seasiders.
Dixie State hit well in the first game at .344, but a couple of service errors cost the Red Storm the match. They never could rebound and finished the match hitting .189. Rex had nine kills to lead DSU and Sorenson added 29 assists.
The Red Storm return home to conclude the regular season with a five game homestand. DSU host California Baptist on Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Student Activites Center.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Down 2-0 at halftime, the Dixie State women’s soccer team staged it largest comeback of the season. A goal from Jennifer Mason in the 106th minute propelled the Red Storm to a 3-2 win over Point Loma in Pacific West Conference play. Dixie State moved up the PacWest standings to 22 points (7-3-1 in league) with three points. “This was our second slow start in a row,” DSU head coach Kacey Bingham said. “Last week, we weren’t able to come back.” Twenty-five minutes into the match, the visitors held a 2-0 lead. After the halftime break, the Red Storm showed increased focus and renewed energy.
Megan Marchbanks deposited a shot after the ball bounced around the box a few times to make the score 2-1 in the 48th minute. Mason scored the equalizer in the 59th minute on a perfectly executed free-kick pass from Aarika Andersen. “I was proud of the intensity we brought in the second half,” Bingham added. Both teams had multiple chances in the latter part of the second half and the first overtime, but it was Mason that scored on a breakaway to seal the deal. The Red Storm outshot the Sea Lions 16-13, Gubler took the win in goal making six saves.
Dixie State heads out for its final two matches of the year against California Baptist – a non-conference tilt on Nov. 7 and the league finale on Nov. 9.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @oldschoolag
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2013, all rights reserved.
