Volleyball team falls to Adrian in four close sets

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College volleyball team fell to Adrian College in four close sets tonight in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) match inside The Cutler Event Center in Olivet. After losing the first set 25-19, the Bulldogs rallied to win the next three sets, 25-23, 25-21 and 25-23.

The Comets led the first from start-to-finish, holding its biggest lead at eight points, 14-6. Olivet had a 3-1 lead in the second set before Adrian scored four straight points to take a 5-3 lead. The Bulldogs stretched their lead to as many as seven points, 24-17. The Comets fought off six set points to trail by one, 24-23, before an Olivet attack error handed the set win to Adrian.

The Bulldogs trailed 3-2 in the third set before scoring seven consecutive points to gain a 9-3 lead, which they did not relinquish for the rest of the set. Adrian led for most of the fourth set until the Comets battled back to tie it at 21-21 and 22-22. Two straight Adrian kills made the score 24-22. Olivet got a kill to make the score 24-23 but the Bulldogs answered with a kill to take the set and match.

Junior Emma Brann (Ann Arbor/Pioneer) paced the Comets' front row with 17 kills, while senior Stefanie Lang (Valparaiso, Ind.) added 14. Playing in her final home collegiate match, senior Tina Westendorp (Nashville/Maple Valley) had 12 kills with zero attack errors on 29 attempts for a team-best .414 hitting percentage. Sophomore Marissa Guile (Williamston) contributed nine kills.

Freshman Danielle Bearden (Goodrich) finished with a team-leading 29 set assists, and junior Taylor Pringle (Haslett) was not too far behind with 25. Three Olivet players reached double figures in digs, led by 26 for junior libero Megan VanderVlucht (McBain). Westendorp collected 14 digs, and freshman Mona Hinamanu (Okemos/Mason) had 10.

The Comets travel to play Kalamazoo College tomorrow morning at 11 a.m.