Volleyball team opens MIAA play with five-set victory over Kalamazoo

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College volleyball team opened Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play with a thrilling five-set victory over Kalamazoo College tonight inside The Cutler Event Center in Olivet.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Olivet def. Kalamazoo 25-21, 26-28, 25-12, 11-25, 15-12
Location: The Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Mich.
Records: Olivet 4-1 overall, 1-0 MIAA; Kalamazoo 1-4 overall, 0-1 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Olivet held a six-point cushion, 12-6, early in the opening set. Kalamazoo came back with six straight points to tie the set 12-12. The Hornets then seized an 18-16 advantage before the Comets scored five of the next six points to go up 21-19. Olivet would then pull away for the 25-21 win in set one.
• Neither team was able to hold a large lead early in the second set. With the score tied at 9-9, Kalamazoo would score the next three points to go up 12-9. The Comets fought back to tie the set at 23-23, 24-24, 25-25 and 26-26. The Hornets put the last two points on the scoreboard via a kill and an Olivet attack error.
• The Comets scored the first five points of the third set and never looked back. They led by as many as 16 points late in the match.
• Olivet's only lead in the fourth set was 1-0. Kalamazoo scored the next three points and did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the set.
• The Hornets held a pair of three-point advantages early in the fifth set, 3-0 and 5-2. The Comets battled back to take a 6-5 lead and then eventually go up 11-8. Three Olivet errors leveled the score at 11-11. The Comets went ahead 12-11 before an Olivet service error tied the set at 12-12. The Comets went ahead 14-12 on back-to-back kills and a Hornet attack error ended the set and handed the match to Olivet.

FOR THE COMETS

• Freshman Morgan Champion was one of four players to record double digit kills, as she slammed down a team-high 13. Junior Allison Turner was next with 12, followed by junior Courtney Cronkright and freshman Madelyn Notenbaum with 11 each.
• Cronkright also had three of the team's seven service aces.
• Senior Danielle Bearden dished out 28 set assists.
• Senior Mona Hinamanu topped the defense with 25 digs. Cronkright and Notenbaum finished with 22 digs apiece.

FOR THE HORNETS

• Maria Katrantzi recorded a match-best 14 kills.
• Kaiya Herman-Hilker collected 44 set assists.
• Dana DeVito registered a match-high 26 digs.

UP NEXT

• Olivet makes the trip to Alma College Friday evening to play the Scots at 6:30 p.m.