Volleyball: Comets sweep Kalamazoo in MIAA and home-opener

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College volleyball team swept Kalamazoo College in three sets (25-23, 25-19, 25-22) in its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and home-opener tonight at The Cutler Event Center in Olivet.

The Comets led the first set from start-to-finish, with their largest lead being five points at 21-16, 22-17 and 23-18. The Hornets came back to trail by one point, 24-23, before a bad Kalamazoo set ended the set in Olivet's favor, 25-23.

The teams traded the first eight points of the second set. After the Comets took a 9-6 lead, they rattled off six straight points to take control of the set for a commanding 15-6 lead. The Hornets got no closer than two points, 18-16, for the rest of the set. Olivet scored five of its final seven points on kills – two each for senior Stefanie Lang and sophomore Gabrielle Trudell, and one for the set win by junior Marissa Guile.

Like the opening set, the Comets also led the third set wire-to-wire. Olivet's biggest lead in the set was eight points, 14-6, after a kill from sophomore Re'Gene Thompson. Kalamazoo cut its deficit down to two points twice, with the last time being 23-21. A Hornet service error was the Comets' 24th point before a kill by Lang ended the set and match. For the set, Olivet had 18 kills with only five errors on 36 attempts for a .361 attack percentage.

For the match, Lang led all players with 18 kills. Guile had 12 kills, two attack errors on 22 attempts for a match-leading .455 hitting percentage. Trudell finished with eight kills to go along with four total blocks (three solo and one assisted).

Senior Taylor Pringle dished out a match-high 24 set assists, while sophomore Danielle Bearden had 16 assists. Sophomore libero Mona Hinamanu recorded 17 digs, followed by freshman Courtney Cronkright with 14.

The Comets play two more MIAA matches this week. On Friday night, they travel to play Saint Mary's (Ind.) College at 7 p.m. before hosting Adrian College Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m.

NOTES: Olivet swept Kalamazoo in three set for the first time since Sept. 4, 2010. It was also the first three-set sweep at home against the Hornets since Oct. 31, 2005.