Olivet wins two matches at Great Lakes Cross Over

SANDUSKY, Ohio – The University of Olivet women's volleyball team won two matches on the second day of the 2024 Great Lakes Cross Over. The two matches were held at the Cedar Point Sports Park in Sandusky, Ohio. The Comets swept Penn State University (Pa.) Altoona in three sets before beating Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) College in four sets.

• Final Score: Olivet defeated Penn State Altoona 25-18, 25-13, 25-12
• Location: Cedar Point Sports Park; Sandusky, Ohio
• Records: Olivet 2-1 overall, Penn State Altoona 1-2 overall

• After a 1-1 tie in the first set, the Comets used two kills and a bad set to take a 4-1 lead. Olivet did not give up the advantage for the rest of the set.
• The Comets had a 4-0 run to start the second set. Olivet extended its lead to as many as 12 points on multiple occasions, including at the end of the set, 25-13.
• The lead swayed back and forth in the early part of the third set. Following a 3-3 deadlock, the Comets took advantage of three Lion miscues to go up 6-3. Olivet held the advantage for the remainder of the set.

• Senior Abi Nunez reached double figures in kills with 15. She had only two errors on 32 attempts for a .406 attack percentage.
• Senior Hayleah McFadden added 10 kills, followed by sophomore Julia Hall with seven.
• Senior Teagan Giannunzio recorded 33 set assists.
• Junior Jaydn Cary topped the defense with 16 digs.
• Freshman Ashlynn Giannunzio was next with 13 digs.
• As a team, Olivet had a .333 hitting percentage, which ranks seventh-best for a match since the 2003 season.

• Final Score: Olivet defeated Washington & Jefferson 23-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-19
• Location: Cedar Point Sports Park; Sandusky, Ohio
• Records: Olivet 3-1 overall, Washington & Jefferson 0-4 overall

• The Presidents raced out to a 6-1 lead. The Comets chipped away at their deficit to trail by only one point late in the set at 23-22 and 24-23. A kill ended the set in W&J's favor.
• The only time Olivet trailed in the second set was 1-0. The Comets eventually went ahead by six points, 13-7. The Presidents cut their deficit in half, 13-10 and 14-11, but did not get any closer for the rest of the set.
• The teams traded the first 10 points of the third set. After a 5-5 tie, Olivet scored three straight points. The Comets maintained the advantage until W&J battled back to level the score at 17-17 and 18-18. Two Nunez kills made the score 20-18 and Olivet did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the set.
• The Presidents began the fourth set by taking a 6-2 lead. They kept that lead until the Comets knotted the score at 9-9. Neither team was able to get any separation, causing six tied scores. After the last one at 16-16, Olivet scored the next two points and did not give up the lead for the remainder of the set.

• Nunez led Olivet with 16 kills.
• Hall tallied 13 kills and a .391 attack percentage.
• Senior Jaelyn Hampton contributed 10 kills.
• Teagan Giannunzio tallied 49 set assists.
• Cary had a team-best 16 digs, followed by Nunez with 16.

• Olivet hosts Manchester (Ind.) University for its home-opener next Wednesday, September 4, at the Cutler Event Center. The first serve from the varsity match is set for 6:30 p.m. The junior varsity match will take place after the varsity match.