CANYON, Texas -  The Davenport women's volleyball team began its 2023 campaign on Friday at the BritKare Lady Buff Classic, dropping its first game of the season against St. Mary's before sweeping East Central in the afternoon.

Game 1 vs. St. Mary's
Result: L, 3-2 (18-25, 25-21, 25-22, 18-25, 9-15)
How it Happened: 
After dropping the first set, the Panthers bounced back in sets two and three to gain a 2-1 advantage in the match. 

In the second set, Stephanie Kalinowski helped spark an 8-2 rally as she had back-to-back aces following a service error by St. Mary's to give DU a 17-12 advantage. Holding a 23-21 lead, the Rattlers had back-to-back errors to give the Panthers the 25-21 victory, tying the match 1-1. 

With a back-and-forth start to the third set, the Panthers gained an 11-7 lead after a 5-0 rally was set in motion by a kill from freshman outside hitter Sydney Swan. St. Mary's came back to take a 21-20 lead following a 5-0 rally. However, Davenport dominated the final stretch, closing out the set with a 5-1 rally as Emmy Webb registered the final kill off an assist from Lexie Beeke.

However, It would not be enough for DU as the Rattlers responded to the 2-1 deficit, taking the final two sets and picking up their first victory this season.  

Lindsay Taylor picked up where she left off a season ago for Davenport, the 2022 Second Team All-GLIAC performer finished with a match-high 16 kills and 17 points. The graduate student also tallied 11 digs and a pair of blocks.

Swan eclipsed double-digit kills in the first contest of her collegiate career with 10, while registering seven digs, two aces, and 12 points in her DU debut. Nicole Odeen recorded a double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs, while Beeke led the way in assists with 20. Kalinowski finished with a match-high 15 digs. 

Game 2 vs. East Central
Result: W, 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-23)
How it Happened:
Emma Turnquist tied a career-high in kills with 13 to lead the Panthers to their first victory this season. The junior finished the match hitting .391, adding a dig and a block.  

As a team, DU finished with 44 kills while holding East Central to just 22 kills in the match.

Following an early 7-4 deficit at the beginning of the first set, Davenport went on a 6-0 rally to take a 10-7 lead, forcing the Tigers to take a timeout. Out of the break, ECU recorded a kill before DU would go on a quick 4-0 run to establish a six-point lead. Swan finished things for the Panthers, slamming the final kill of the set off an assist from Beeke.

The Panthers controlled the majority of the second set behind a couple of crucial rallies. With the scores tied 5-5, Beeke set up Webb for a kill, igniting a 5-0 rally and gave DU a 10-5 advantage. ECU fought back, only trailing by two points (12-10) before the Panthers took over the final stretch, outsourcing the Tigers 13-4 to take the set. Abby Alan had a dominating stretch for DU, recording four of the team's final five points, all coming off of kills that were set up by Beeke.

After leading majority of the match, DU found itself in unfamiliar territory late in the third and final set. The Panthers trailed 18-13 before Odeen set up Turnquist for a kill, leading to a 6-1 run and tying the game at 19 a piece. After the Tigers responded with a kill, the Panthers gained control with a 5-1 run, with Kaitlin Jordan registering a kill and solo block to give themselves the three-point cushion and chance to put the match away. Davenport secured the final point off of a service error by East Central University.

Webb racked up seven kills, two digs, a block, and one service ace to help propel the Panthers to a victory. Swan racked up six kills, two aces, and four digs, while Alan registered five kills on seven attempts (hitting .714). Odeen led all players in assists with 18, while Beeke dished out 17. Kalinowski again led the squad in digs with seven in the win.

Postgame Thoughts
"It was a great day of growth for the team today," said head coach Brian Netzler. "Our seniors did a good job of navigating the start of a new season. Emmy Webb was a steady force for us in the middle and we had some good individual performances from our newcomers." 

Up Next
The Panthers will wrap up play at the BritKare Lady Buff Classic tomorrow as they are set to match up against Adams State (12:30 p.m. EST) and defending national champions, No. 1 West Texas A&M (8 p.m. EST).