Volleyball team rallies to beat Adrian in five sets

OLIVET, Mich. -- The Olivet College volleyball team closed the first half of its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association schedule with a thrilling five-set win against Adrian College tonight at The Cutler Event Center in Olivet. After losing the first two sets 25-19 and 25-19, the Comets rallied to force a deciding set with 25-19 wins in sets three and four. In the fifth set, Olivet led 3-0 before Adrian scored three straight points to tie it at 3-3. The set was then back-and-forth until the Bulldogs took a 14-10 lead. The Comets rattled off six straight points to win the match with a 16-14 victory.

Olivet had three players reach double figures in kills, led by sophomore Melanie Merchant (St. Joseph) with a match-high 16. She had just four attack errors in 37 attempts for a match-leading .324 hitting percentage. Junior Jordy Bergeron (Muskegon/Mona Shores) sophomore Sam Gibson (Battle Creek/Harper Creek) recorded 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Sophomore Tori King (Ash Grove, Mo.) had a team-leading six blocks, including five assisted. Senior Ellen Schulz (Freeland) was next with five blocks.

Senior Jenessa Hicks (Union City) collected 30 set assists, while freshman Kaitlyn Salhaney (Caledonia/East Kentwood) added 17 assists. In the back row, junior libero Mallory Schug (Climax/Galesburg Augusta) posted a match-high 27 digs.

"I was very happy with how hard we fought in this match," said Olivet Head Coach Lynnette Moster. "We have had a couple tough losses and it was great to bounce back with a nice win on our home court. By having three players in double figures for kills, it shows we are getting some balance and not relying on one attacker. Our defense was also great. We can celebrate the win tonight, but tomorrow our focus has to be on Trine. We know they will be gunning for us since we beat them on their home court a few weeks ago."

With the win, the Comets have a 7-6 overall record and surpass their win total from the entire 2009 season. Olivet also has four MIAA wins and that equals the number of league wins from the last two years combined.

The Comets will host two matches in less than 24 hours this Friday and Saturday. On Friday night, Olivet plays Trine (Ind.) University at 6:30 p.m., and then on Saturday afternoon, it plays Hope College at 1 p.m.

NOTES: Tonight's match was part of the national Dig Pink Night. The Olivet players solicited donations based on the number of digs they had in the match. In addition, Karen Harrison, mother of senior Heather Nicklaw, served as an honorary player during the mach. Harrison was diagnosed in September 2000 with stage 1 breast cancer. She had surgery and has been cancer free since. If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.side-out.org/application/teams/team_page/2642 and help Olivet reach its $1,000 goal.