Dominican University's Kendyl Todd took over, knocking down 17 kills to reach 1,000 kills for her career, as the Stars rallied to a score a four-set (20-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-23) win over the visiting Lakeland University Muskies at the Igini Sports Forum on Friday night.
 
The milestone kill for Todd came midway through the fourth set, putting the Stars up 14-13.  The set remained tight with Lakeland using a four-point run to erase a 22-18 deficit and even the set at 22-22 before a kill by Elin Ream and a Dominican block by Todd and Ream set up set point for the Stars.
 
After a quick Muskies' sideout, a Lakeland attack error closed out the night.
 
"After being on the road for two weeks, it was good to be back at home in front of our fans," commented Brittany Sisk, the Stars' first-year head coach. "Lakeland came out strong, and although we started slow, I am very proud of the positive change the team made to control the rest of the match."
 
After the Stars committed 11 errors while hitting -.022 in the first set, Dominican went on to hit .242 over the final three sets, knocking down 41 kills to just 15 errors. Todd carried the offense through the second and third sets, knocking down seven of her match-high 17 kills in the second set and adding five kills in the third set.  The senior hit a blistering .467 for the night to pace the offense.
 
"I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of Kendyl's career," continued Sisk. "She is not only an incredible athlete, but a tremendous teammate. She deserved that moment tonight where we could celebrate her."
 
Ream finished with 12 kills while Alex Kisten rounded out three in double-digit kills for the Stars with ten.  Freshman setter Anastasia Labadessa ran the offense, picking up 42 assists.
 
Defensively, the Stars held the Muskies to a .105 attack percentage, picking up 74 digs as a team.  Sophomore Lauren LaVigne led the back row effort with a match-high 22 digs.  Megan Parker and Gillian Jones added 13 digs apiece while Labadessa rounded out her ninth double-double of the season with ten digs.
 
For the Muskies, Shannon Bishop tallied a team-high 13 kills.
 
Dominican, now 9-9 on the season and 3-2 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC), return to the Igini Sports Forum on Saturday, hosting the Marian University Sabres for a 12:00 p.m. match.