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The Lady Roadrunners, coached by Bruna Langer, ended their volleyball season with an overall record of 10-20, and ended their run in the Southern States Athletic Conference 9-11.Â
Early on in the season, Dalton State lost to Marian University (Ind.) and Florida College (Fla.) but came back to win against Johnson and Wales (Fla.).
The battle against Marian was lost 3-1 in the Keiser University Invitational being held at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Grace Hardin led in scoring with 13 kills, 5 blocks, and 5 service aces. Freshman
Brooke Thomas, taking over for 3-year starter
Michala Askew, showed as a strong replacement as she registered 28 assists. Although the Lady Roadrunners suffered early losses, they rebounded in their match against Johnson and Wales.Â
The match against Johnson and Wales brought back the fire to Dalton State as they dominated the court and took the win 3-0. The team won in straight sets 25-11, 25-4, and 25-11 with
Brooke Thomas playing a stellar match and
Anna Metzler shining with 11 kills, 4 digs, and 6 service aces.Â
At this point, fans were optimistic about the season even after the early losses. Dalton State student Yuliza Hernandez stated, "The losses were rough but the match against Johnson and Wales inspired me to keep rooting them on!"
The season continued to be a tough one for the Lady Roadrunners as they entered the match against Middle Georgia State (Ga.) with a 4-8 record. Community member Jeff Curtis stated, "I wasn't deterred by the losses and still held out hope for a winning season. The Middle Georgia match ended up being one of my favorite matches of the season, it was phenomenal!".Â
Fans were booming as the Lady Roadrunners defeated the visiting Knights 3-1. Middle Georgia fought a hard match with both teams trading blows, but Dalton State increased their lead throughout the match and eventually knocked out Middle Georgia. The Lady Roadrunners out digged the Knights 73-57.Â
Anna Metzler contributed heavily with 11 kills and 11 digs to achieve a double.
Casey Cox, a junior from Oklahoma City, OK dominated offense with 9 assists and handed it off to
Clarissa Weber and
Brooke Thomas who added a combined 33 assists. This match brought Dalton State to 5-10 overall and 4-6 in the SSAC.
After the victory over Middle Georgia, the Lady Roadrunners fought hard to recover their overall season but took losses to Life University (Ga.), Milligan (Tenn.), and Faulkner University (Ala.). Fans were not discouraged by the losses with students Yuliza Hernandez and Ashley Brown cheering on their Lady Roadrunners. Both stated that, although Dalton State took heavy losses, they were proud of the players who were giving their opponents a tough battle.Â
Dalton State ended their home season on October 23 with a win against Loyola University-New Orleans 3-1. The battle began with Loyola taking the second set to even the match 1-1. The third set was filled with tension with the score tied 24-24, but
Anna Metzler ripped off 2 kills to win the set 26-25. Dalton State cut through the fourth set and won 25-12. Metzler finished the home season with 20 kills.
Clarissa Weber and
Brooke Thomas combined for a splendid 37 assists. Defense was dominated by
Ryan Burke smashing 7 block back at Loyola.
Karly Newman had 19 digs to surpass 1000 for her career. Fans were excited that their home season ended with a win, community member Jeanette Chavez, stated, "The girls worked so hard and gave it their all this season. The win against Loyola was a great ending to their home season."Â
As the season winded down, Dalton State won 5 games, defeating Middle Georgia once again, and took 7 losses with their last game being against Loyola University-New Orleans, who rebounded from their loss at the end of the regular season, and eliminated Dalton State from the SSAC tournament.
Although the season ended on a loss, fans found the team to be warriors on the court Community member Courtney Smith stated, "The team this year fought hard and didn't disappoint! Even though the season didn't end in victory, I am looking forward to next season!".