Box Score SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Sophomore Madeline Powelson slammed down a career-high 19 kills and the Dominican University of California women's volleyball team recorded a 3-1 win over Montana State Billings in the opener of the PacWest/GNAC Crossover, which is being hosted by Dominican.

The Penguins looked sharp after a rough opening weekend that saw the team drop its first four matches, only days after having lost All-PacWest player Amanda Wasko. At home, the Penguins looked much more comfortable and its offense settled in, getting production from both sides as sophomore Hannah Smith dished out 45 assists. Freshman Aimee Steinwand matched a season- and career-high with 12, the third time in five matches she's reached that plateau. Sophomore Susanna Pilkerton added a season-high 11 kills.

Sophomore libero Amanda Lee had 10 of the team's 37 digs. Senior Samantha Rains stopped everything that came her way, recording four block solos (matching a career-high) and three block assists.

After starting off on a 5-0 run, the Penguins never relinquished the lead to gain the early advantage. They fell behind by as much as eight in set two but regained their footing in set three, opening up the set 8-4. Though they fell behind 20-19 after a 5-1Yellowjackets run and Dominican Head Coach Gayle Stammer called timeout. The Penguins regrouped and finished on a 7-2 run to take the third set 25-23. Dominican finished strong yet again in set five with an 11-4 run.

Dominican takes the court at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12 in day two of the PacWest/GNAC Crossover. They'll face Simon Fraser, who fell to Fresno Pacific 3-0 on Thursday. Live coverage of the entire tournament is available at dominicanathletics.com/crossover.