Second-ranked Jimmies sweep No. 6 DWU; will host GPAC final

The second-ranked University of Jamestown volleyball team swept No. 6 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) University Wednesday evening at Harold Newman Arena in the GPAC postseason tournament semifinals.

UJ (30-2) will host fourth-ranked Concordia (Neb.) University Saturday at 3 p.m. in the GPAC championship match. The Bulldogs defeated No. 3 Midland (Neb.) in five sets in Wednesday's other semifinal.

A .349 to .111 difference in hitting percentage helped the Jimmies to a 25-19 set one victory. Jamestown never trailed in the opener, and used a 4-0 run to take a 15-9 lead that stayed between three and six points the remainder of the set.

In set two, another 4-0 run ended up being the difference as UJ came away with a 25-21 win. Although the Jimmies held a slim edge in kills (16-14), UJ was able to double up the Tigers when it came to hitting percentage (.267 to .125).

DWU won six of the first nine points in the third set but Jamestown rallied to make it just a one-point deficit at 10-9. A Darienne Johnson (JR/Eastpointe, Mich.) kill was the start of four straight points for the Jimmies in what proved to be a match-defining run. After a Tiger kill stopped the UJ streak, Lexi Olson (SO/Langdon, N.D.) got the home team back on track. Aleah Zieske (SO/Spicer, Minn.) followed Olson's kill with one of her own, and back to back DWU errors made it 17-11. Johnson and Kalli Hegerle (SR/West Fargo, N.D.) kills were part of the final three points the clinched the match.

Anna Holen (SR/LaMoure, N.D.) had 13 kills and Hegerle finished with 12. Zieske hit .667 with nine kills and Logan Sherman (JR/Marshall, Minn.) ended with eight. Hegerle and Paige Oswald (JR/Frazee, Minn.) both passed out 21 assists. Ellie Holen (JR/LaMoure, N.D.) had 20 digs, followed by Anna Holen with 14 and Hegerle with 12. Johnson had four block assists.

UJ defeated Concordia 3-1 at Harold Newman Arena on October 7 in the only other matchup between the teams this season.