Volleyball Results: Oct. 16
GRACE 3, MT. VERNON NAZARENE 2
The Grace women’s volleyball team rallied from an early deficit to claim a five-set victory over Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday.
Powered by a career-high 63 assists from Alexa Hill, Makaela Lochmueller’s career-best 21 kills and a double-double from freshman Jadyn Block, the Lady Lancers (14-13, 8-4 Crossroads League) secured their third straight win in conference play.
Grace is now tied for third place in the Crossroads League standings with MVNU and St. Francis; only five league contests are left in the regular season.
Foreshadowing the rest of the match, the first set was tightly contested. Each time traded blows with neither team pulling ahead quickly.
The Cougars (21-6, 8-4 CL) were the first to pull away, snatching a three-point lead and never giving it back.
Makayla Bell and Lochmueller produced some pivotal kills, but the Cougars countered every run and took the set 25-19.
Grace put on a defensive clinic in the second set. The Lady Lancers slowed the Cougar attack with diving efforts from Gina Novotny and Bell that propelled the offense to an early 6-2 lead.
Grace stretched the lead to nine, prompting a Cougar timeout.
Spurred on by sprawling defensive efforts from Hill, Block and Caroline Mayer, the offense unleashed an efficient attack at a .447 clip to maintain the lead.
Despite a late push from the Cougars, the Lady Lancers claimed the 25-21 victory on a kill from Lochmueller.
The offense picked up right where it left off, taking an early lead in the third set on back-to-back kills from Lochmueller and Deborah Michalski.
The Cougars responded with a strong offensive attack that left the Lancers with a five-point deficit to overcome.
The Lady Lancers chipped away, with an ace from Novotny and huge kill from Katie Swanson. However, MVNU countered any sign of a comeback, taking the set by a score of 25-20.
In the most dramatic set yet, the Lady Lancers rallied in the fourth set with their backs against the wall. Despite the Cougars taking an early lead, the Lady Lancer attack came out strong.
Corynne Aelker produced two kills right away, and a block point from Block and Lochmueller showed the Lady Lancers were beginning to dominate at the net.
Lochmueller showed no signs of slowing down, with two kills early on. Katie Swanson was strong on the outside, swinging hard and producing several crucial kills.
With the offense clicking, Grace built a six-point lead. But the Cougars battled back to tie the score at 17.
Ultimately, the Lady Lancer offense was too much to handle. Lochmueller and Block teamed up to record six kills in the last seven Lady Lancer points, winning the set 25-20.
Grace Erwin opened the deciding fifth set with an ace, firing up an electric Lady Lancer sideline.
Another ace, this time from Emily Sharp, propelled Grace to a 4-2 lead that they would not relinquish.
Swanson had three crucial kills down the stretch, and Lochmueller fired two kills to clinch the match by a score of 15-12.
Lochmueller produced 21 kills on a .439 percentage, adding two solo blocks and a block assist. Bell recorded 10 kills.
Block scored a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs, and Aelker added nine kills.
The busy Lady Lancer defense was led by Novotny (22 digs), Erwin (21 digs) and Sharp (14 digs).
Hill recorded 63 assists, 8 digs and 4 kills. Her 63 assists broke her previous career high of 60, and it marked the 10th-most assists by any player in the NAIA this season.
The Lady Lancers travel to Michigan on Friday to take on Spring Arbor at 7 p.m.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 6TH GRADE 2, SOUTH WHITLEY 0
SOUTH WHITLEY 6TH GRADE 2, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 1
Tippecanoe Valley closed its sixth grade season with a split against Whitko. The A Team beat South Whitley 25-21, 25-24 while the South rose in the B games 11-25, 25-23, 15-10.