Atlantic 10 Championship Match
Score: Dayton 3, VCU 1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19)
Location: Kingston, R.I. (Keaney Gymnasium)
Records: VCU 24-6, Dayton 22-8

The short story: Junior outside hitter Paula Neciporuka spiked 13 kills, but it wasn't enough for top-seeded VCU to overcome Dayton Sunday in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Championship Match. The loss snapped VCU's 18-match win streak.

OPENING VOLLEY

• Senior outside hitter Vicky Giommarini supplied 11 kills, three blocks and a pair of aces to help bolster VCU
• In the middle, seniors Jasmin Sneed (six kills, eight blocks) and Jaelyn Jackson (10 kills, two blocks) provided strong performances toward the VCU cause
• Sierra Pla led all players with 15 kills for Dayton, while Olivia Dubay added eight kills and eight blocks for the Flyers

THE DIFFERENCE

• Dayton outhit VCU .281-.162 and owned a 65-52 advantage in digs
• The Flyers outblocked VCU 13-11. It's just the fourth time this season an opponent has totaled more blocks than the Rams
• VCU raced out to an 18-15 lead in the third, but Dayton embarked on an 8-3 run, sparked by a pair of Olivia Dubay kills, to assume a 24-21 advantage on the way to a 25-23 win
• Dayton hit .105 in the first set, but recorded a .343 mark the rest of the way

NOTABLE

• VCU and Dayton were meeting in the championship match for the third straight season
• The Rams' loss was its first since Sept. 17
• VCU is 45-3 against Atlantic 10 competition the past three seasons
• The Rams have won three straight A-10 regular season championships