Campus Rundown: It was a great week to be a Trailblazer

File photo by Robert Hoppie, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – It was a good week for Dixie State Athletics. The football, volleyball and both soccer teams combined for a 5-0 record.

The football team snapped a three-game losing streak with the return of Dixie High alum Blake Barney. The volleyball team swept two matches to stay atop the PacWest Conference standings. The men’s soccer team beat PacWest defending champion Fresno Pacific to maintain its hold in first place in the PacWest. The Medina brothers, Gabby and Moises, both garnered awards for conference players of the week. The women’s soccer team also beat Fresno Pacific to climb into sixth place in the PacWest. But they are only a half game out of second place. Darian McCloy also was named PacWest player of the week. Below are game summaries of last week’s matches:

FOOTBALL

The Dixie State football team used a steady rushing attack to earn a 28-20 victory over Western State Colorado on Saturday at Legend Solar Stadium.

Dixie State's Blake Barney (5), Dixie State University vs. Western State Colorado University, Football , St. George, Utah, Oct. 1, 2016, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Dixie State’s Blake Barney (5), Dixie State University vs. Western State Colorado University, Football , St. George, Utah, Oct. 1, 2016, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

The Trailblazers rushed for 277 yards and three touchdowns as quarterback Blake Barney made his 2016 debut after missing the first four games due to injury. Defensively, DSU held the Mountaineers under 200 yards rushing for just the second time this season.

Dixie State secured its second victory of the season despite being outgained by Western State. DSU amassed 378 yards of total offense (277 rush, 101 pass), while the Mountaineers finished the game with 394 yards of total offense.

Barney completed 10-of-18 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, while adding 75 yards rushing. Simms rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while Coleman added another 88 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Reed led all receivers with 4 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Linebacker Garret Hutnick led the defense with a team-high nine tackles, while safety Colton Olson, defensive back Tyneil Cooper, and linebacker Shiloh Pritchard each added seven tackles.

For the comprehensive game story, click here.

The Trailblazers now head to Chadron, Nebraska, for their first meeting with Chadron State on Saturday at 1 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

On Saturday night Dixie State rallied from a 23-21 set-one deficit by scoring six of the final eight points of the stanza to take the opening set by a 27-25 count over Chaminade. That served as a wake-up call for the Trailblazers as they began the second set on an 8-2 spurt and were never challenged in the frame as DSU took it 25-15 en route to a 2-0 lead in the match.

Dixie State's Delayne Daniel (2), Dixie State University vs. Chaminade University, Volleyball, St. George, Utah, Oct. 1, 2016, | Photo by Megan Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Dixie State’s Delayne Daniel (2), Dixie State University vs. Chaminade University, Volleyball, St. George, Utah, Oct. 1, 2016, | Photo by Megan Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

Chaminade tried to extend the match in set three as the Silverswords led for almost the entire stanza, including a 19-17 advantage late in the frame. However the Trailblazers would not be denied of their seventh sweep of the year as DSU closed the match with an 8-3 run to salt away the victory.

Outside hitter Delayne Daniel led DSU with a game-high 12 kills and 13 digs to post her fourth double-double of the year, while OH Taylor Duryea connected for 10 kills and hit .400 for the match. DSU hit .278 and collected 38 kills to go with a season-high 12 service aces, including a career-best four aces for Daniel.

DSU’s defense held Chaminade to a .200 hitting percentage, thanks to a team-high 14 digs from libero Sidney Brandon and eight combined team blocks, including a career-high tying five total blocks (one solo) from middle blocker Kayla Chapman.

On Monday night four Trailblazers posted double figures in kills with a 3-1 defeat of Notre Dame de Namur Monday night inside the DSU Student Activities Center (SAC).

Dixie State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match after taking sets one and two by identical 25-18 counts. Set three featured a see-saw battle between the two sides before the Argonauts scored six of the final eight points of the frame to break a 19-19 tie en route to a 25-21 win to pull to within a set at 2-1. The Trailblazers then made quick work of NDNU in the decisive fourth stanza as they scored the first six points and never looked back as DSU closed the set and match with a 25-14 triumph.

Duryea led the way with a season-high 19 kills and a career-high tying 14 digs, while middle blocker Lindsay Garrett added 13 kills to go with seven digs and a game-high seven total blocks. Daniel posted her fifth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 20 digs, and MB Malary Marshall recorded a DSU career-best 10 kills and hit .562 for the match.

DSU hit .247 overall, while the Trailblazer defense held NDNU to a .107 hitting percentage, thanks to a season-high 95 digs, including 20 from Brandon, and 10 total team blocks.

Dixie State wraps up its three-match PacWest homestand this Saturday at 12 noon vs. Azusa Pacific.

MEN’S SOCCER

Midfielder Gabby Medina scored one goal and assisted on two more to help lead Dixie State to its sixth-straight victory with a hard-fought 3-2 result over defending Pacific West Conference champion Fresno Pacific Saturday night at Legend Solar Stadium. With the win DSU remained perfect in the PacWest standings at 4-0-0, 6-3-0 overall, while the Sunbirds fell to 3-4-1, 2-2-0 in league play.

Dixie State's Ather Dawood (11) celebrates his first half goal, Dixie State University vs. Northwest Nazarene University, Mens Soccer, St. George, Utah, Sept. 17, 2016, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Dixie State’s Ather Dawood (11) celebrates his first half goal, Dixie State University vs. Northwest Nazarene University, Mens Soccer, St. George, Utah, Sept. 17, 2016, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

Gabby Medina got the Trailblazers on the board just 1:50 into the match as he took a centering pass from Dominic Damato and beat the Sunbird keeper from 8-yards out to give DSU a 1-0 lead. Dixie State added a goal in the 49th-minute when Bryan Baugh headed home his first goal of the year from 5-yards after a Gabby Medina corner kick to give DSU a two-goal advantage.

FPU got one of the goals back nine minutes later, and the Sunbirds pulled even at 2-2 early in the 81st-minute. DSU answered with 5:46 remaining in regulation as freshman forward Moises Medina took a feed from his older brother Gabby and tucked home the game-winning goal from 5-yards out.

DSU was outshot in the match by a 16-12 count, though the Trailblazers held a slim edge in shots on goal, 10-9. Goalie Zach Nielson made two saves in nearly 13 minutes of reserve play to pick up his first collegiate decision in goal, goalie Bradley Trella stopped five FPU shots.

Dixie State will now embark on its final road trip of the 2016 regular season next week as the Trailblazers head out for an eight-day, four-match swing through the Hawaiian Islands. DSU will open the trip with its final match ever vs. BYU-Hawaii on Oct. 8, followed by games at Hawai’i Pacific (Oct. 10), Hawai’i Hilo (Oct. 13) and Chaminade (Oct. 15).

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Junior forward Darian McCloy scored twice to help lead Dixie State to a 3-2 victory over Fresno Pacific Saturday night at Legend Solar Stadium. The win, DSU’s second-straight overall, moved the Trailblazers to 4-5-0 on the season, 2-2-0 in PacWest play.

The Sunbirds opened the scoring at the 24:55 on the first of two penalty kicks FPU was awarded on the night to take a 1-0 lead.

Dixie State evened the match 10 minutes later when Megan Spencer scored from 8-yards out off a feed to the right wing from Bailey Kroll. Then just before halftime, McCloy took a two-touch combo from Capri Goldsmith and Liz Newman and beat the FPU keeper one-on-one to put DSU on top at 2-1 at intermission.

McCloy struck again late in the 72nd-minute as she took a centering pass from Erica Gonzalez and fired home her team-leading sixth goal of the year from the top of the penalty area to stake the Trailblazers to a 3-1 advantage.

FPU got one of the goals back at the 81:12 mark on its second penalty kick goal, but that would be as close as the Sunbirds would get as DSU closed out the final eight-plus minutes of play to end the game.

DSU finished with 20 shots, 13 of which were on target, with McCloy and senior Alexis Torres collecting five shots (3 SOG) apiece. The Trailblazers held FPU to 12 shots, eight on frame, while senior netminder Angelica Ciucci finished with six saves to earn the decision in goal.

Dixie State will now embark on its final road trip of the 2016 regular season next week as the Trailblazers head out for an eight-day, four-match swing through the Hawaiian Islands. DSU will open the trip with its final match ever vs. BYU-Hawaii on Oct. 8, followed by games at Hawai’i Pacific (Oct. 10), Hawai’i Hilo (Oct. 13) and Chaminade (Oct. 15).

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

 

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1 Comment

  • .... October 7, 2016 at 8:10 am

    Way to go Trailblazers ☆☆☆☆☆ ! I always enjoy supporting the DSU sports venue and supporting the local high schools. Hip Hip Hooray Trailblazers. ! ..

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