Score: VCU 3, Dayton 1 (25-21, 16-25, 30-28, 25-22)
Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)
Records: VCU 10-11 (5-4 Atlantic 10), Dayton 12-10 (6-3)
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The short story: Senior outside hitter
Qairo Bentley blasted a career-high 24 kills to lift VCU past defending Atlantic 10 Conference Champion Dayton Saturday afternoon at the Siegel Center.
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OPENING VOLLEY
- Bentley spiked 10 of her 24 kills in the third set alone to push the Rams to a dramatic, 30-28 victory. She did not commit an error in 19 swings in that frame. Bentley hit .377 on the day in 53 attempts and also provided 14 digs and a block
- Senior outside hitter Jovana Vukcevic added 12 kills and three blocks for the Black and Gold, while junior middle blocker Jasmine Knight supplied nine kills and hit .240
- Sophomore setter Taylor Aguano steered the VCU offense with 41 assists and also kicked in 19 digs, two blocks, two kills and an ace. Sarah Stratton chipped in with five blocks, including a pair of solos
- Lexie Almodovar led Dayton with 17 killsÂ
THE DIFFERENCE
- The third set proved to be an inflection point in the match. In addition to Bentley's brilliance in the set, Knight smacked five kills on seven chances, and VCU racked up 29 digs in an outstanding defensive effort
- VCU held five set points before finally putting away the Flyers in the third. The set featured 13 ties and three lead changes before Stratton finally clinched the win with a service ace
- VCU hit .214 in the match, the Rams' best mark since Sept. 2 against Albany. The Rams hit .288 and .238 in the third and fourth sets, respectively, as they put the contest awayÂ
NOTABLE
- VCU snapped a six-match losing streak to Dayton and evened the season series at 1-1
- Saturday's win moved the Rams into a tied with Saint Louis for fifth in the A-10 standings and set the stage for a pair of matches with the Billikens next weekend. One-and-a-half games separate third through sixth places in a hotly contested A-10 race
NEXT UP
VCU will host Saint Louis in a pair of matches Oct. 21 and Oct. 22. Both matches will start at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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