DENTON, Texas (Oct. 15) – The TWU volleyball team defeated visiting Dallas Baptist 21-25, 25-16, 25-23, 16-25 and 15-12 on Wednesday night in front of 633 fans in Kitty Magee Arena.  With the win, the Pioneers improved to 13-7 on the season.
 
The Pioneers fell behind by four or more points in all five sets but rallied to capture sets two, three and five. TWU hit just .092 for the game but had six service aces and 15.5 team blocks.
 
Freshman Elizabeth Pennington led TWU with 20 kills and a .531 hitting percentage.  Junior Hillary Shaffer and sophomore Mallory Kuechle added seven kills each for the Pioneers.  Shaffer totaled a game-high nine blocks while Pennington had six blocks including two solo blocks.  Senior Morgan Wilson had a TWU team-best 27 digs while Kuechle added 20 and junior Torie Talkington had 12. Freshman Mary Kate Hyde assisted on 37 kills for the Pioneers.
 
The Pioneers dropped the first set after falling behind 7-3 to start the game.  TWU cut it to a two-point deficit, 11-9, but the Patriots pulled away for a four-point win.
 
In the second set, the Pioneers again fell behind, 5-1, and trailed, 13-8, before going on a 10-0 run to take the lead.  TWU captured the set 25-16 after hitting .345.
 
In the third, the Pioneers trailed, 6-1, before going on a 7-2 run to tie the score.  TWU again fell behind, 14-10, but went on a 10-4 run to go on top 20-18.  The Pioneers closed out the set after splitting the next 10 points.
 
In the fourth, it was all DBU as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead and captured a nine-point win to force the deciding set.  TWU struggled on offense with nine hitting errors.
 
In the final set, the Pioneers fell behind, 7-3, before using 9-2 run to go on top, 12-9.  TWU again split the next six points to capture the set and the game.
 
"We never got in a rhythm and had to rally in every set," said TWU head coach Shelly Barberee.  "We also didn't have our full squad and that threw us off a little.  Liz played another outstanding game with a high hitting percentage.  We blocked well at the net and that was our strength tonight."
 
The Pioneers will return to action when they host Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday, Oct. 18.  First serve is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Kitty Magee Arena.