DAYTON – After the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season was played in the spring of 2021, the University of Dayton volleyball team was able to return to a relatively normal schedule in the fall of 2021.
The Flyers posted the program’s fifth undefeated Atlantic 10 season since 2010, won the program’s 15th A-10 regular season title, its 15th A-10 Championship title and made the program’s 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament advancing to the second round for the ninth time.
Dayton pushed its limits throughout the year, squaring off against several teams that appeared in the AVCA Top 25 or were receiving votes in the poll including teams such as Kentucky, Texas State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Marquette and Purdue.
As a tune-up for the 2021 season, Dayton welcomed then-13th ranked Louisville to Frericks Center for an exhibition match. The Cardinals outlasted the Flyers, 3-2, in a hard-fought battle, a team that would go on to run the table in its regular-season slate and earn a spot in the NCAA semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Wisconsin.
To open the regular season, Dayton played host to its annual Flyer Invitational Aug. 27-28. After dispatching Cincinnati, 3-2, Dayton dropped a 3-0 decision to reigning national champion Kentucky before claiming a 3-1 win over Texas State.
During the second weekend of the season, Dayton traveled west to play two matches at Wisconsin Sept. 2-3. The eventual national-champion Badgers claimed back-to-back, straight-set wins over the Flyers.
On September 10–11, Dayton co-hosted the Flyer-Raider Invitational with cross-town foe Wright State. UD took WSU to the limit before falling to the Raiders, 3-2, but bounced back with 3-0 wins over Illinois State and Central Michigan. The following weekend, the Flyers hit the road to participate in the Michigan Invitational picking up wins over Boston College and Eastern Michigan before dropping a 3-0 decision to host Michigan.
UD hit the ground running in Atlantic 10 Conference play, finishing 16-0 in league contests to claim the A-10 regular season crown. The Flyers headed into the A-10 Championship with a 16-game winning streak and extended with victories over Duquesne and Fordham to hoist the A-10 Tournament trophy.
For the 16th time in program history, Dayton found itself a spot in the NCAA Tournament and was slated to square off against Marquette in First Round action. After a 3-1 win versus the Golden Eagles, the Flyers advanced to face the host sixth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers. After winning the first two sets, Dayton gave up two to Purdue to send the match to a fifth. The Flyers were unable to overcome the Boilermaker attack, bowing out in the Second Round with a 3-2 loss.
Overall, the team finished the season 26-6, the program’s 33 20-win season and 27th consecutive winning season.
Team Awards
Dr. R. Elaine Driedame – Elizabeth House
Flyer Awards – Maura Collins
Kacie Hausfeld Teammate Award – Molly Asmus and Grace Dynda
Player Awards
Jamie Peterson – VolleyballMag.com All-American Fourth Team, AVCA Honorable Mention All-America Team, AVCA Midwest Region and Atlantic 10 Player of the Year for the third consecutive time, A-10 First Team All-Conference, A-10 Championship MOP, ranked 28th in the NCAA for kills/set, finished her career ranked seventh in Dayton program history with 1,471 career kills.
Maura Collins – A-10 Co-Libero of the Year, A-10 All-Conference Second Team, A-10 All-Academic Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 Second Team
Lexie Almodovar – A-10 All Championship Team, A-10 All-Conference First Team
Amelia Moore – A-10 All-Conference Second Team, A-10 All-Academic Team, led the A-10 and ranked 47th in the NCAA with 1.22 blocks/set
Livie Sandt – A-10 Setter of the Year, A-10 All-Conference First Team
Alayna Yates – A-10 Championship All-Tournament Team
The Flyers also said goodbye to the departing seniors Jamie Peterson, Mahalia Swink, Molly Asmus, Alli Papesh, Elizabeth House, Maura Collins and Mikaylah Van Lanen. Thank you for all you have done for the program.