Volleyball team loses five-set heartbreaker at Adrian

ADRIAN, Mich. – The Olivet College volleyball team lost a five-set heartbreaker to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Adrian College this evening at the Merillat Center in Adrian. After the Comets won the first set 25-22, the Bulldogs won the next two sets 25-18 and 25-20. Olivet forced a deciding set with a 25-17 victory in the fourth set. Adrian won the match with a 15-9 fifth-set victory.

In the first set, the Comets led by five points twice, with the last time being 15-10. The Bulldogs scored five of the next six points to knot the score at 16-16. Olivet answered with a 6-1 run to go back up by five, 22-17. The teams traded points for the rest of the set until the Comets won it, 25-22.

In the second set, Olivet used a 6-1 run to turn a 7-5 deficit into an 11-8 lead. The Bulldogs came back with their own 5-1 run to gain a 13-11 lead. The Comets scored two straight points to tie the set at 13-13. Adrian answered with four consecutive points for a 17-13 lead and did not relinquish it for the rest of the set.

Olivet's only lead in the third set was 1-0, as the Bulldogs cruised to a 25-20 win. The teams traded points in the early stages of the fourth set until the Comets took the largest lead for either team at 16-13. Olivet extended its lead to seven points, 23-16, before settling for the 25-17 win to force the deciding set.

The Comets scored the first two points of the fifth set before the Bulldogs scored the next two. Following an Olivet point, Adrian scored three straight points on kills to take a 5-3 lead. The Comets tied the set one more time, 6-6. The Bulldogs put the next three points on the scoreboard and did not trail for the rest of the set.

For the match, Olivet pounded down seven more kills than Adrian, 63-56. The difference in the match was the Bulldogs had 17 less attack errors, 19-36, and hit at a .233 clips compared to .143 for the Comets.

For Olivet, sophomore Allison Turner slammed down a match-high 21 kills. She had eight attack errors on 46 attempts for a .283 hitting percentage. Junior Re'Gene Thompson recorded 16 kills, while senior Marissa Guile had 15 kills. 

Junior Danielle Bearden dished out 54 of the Comets' 61 set assists. Four Olivet players reached double figures in digs, led by junior Mona Hinamanu's 21. Sophomore Courtney Cronkright was next with 16, followed by Bearden and senior Dallas James with 11 apiece. Cronkright also registered three service aces.

Olivet will be right back in action tomorrow morning with a home match against Saint Mary's (Ind.) College. First serve inside The Cutler Event Center is scheduled for noon.