Volleyball team defeats Albion in five sets

The Olivet College volleyball team defeated Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Albion College tonight in five sets (24-26, 27-25, 26-24, 17-25, 15-8) tonight at Kresge Gym in Albion. The win snapped a 14-match losing streak in MIAA play.

Albion had leads of 14-9 and 22-19 in the first set. After Olivet came back to tie it at 24-24, the Britons tallied the next two points to win the set, 26-24. In the second set, the Comets led 24-21 before settling for a 27-25 win.

Albion led in the third set, 15-12, before Olivet scored four consecutive points to take a one-point lead, 16-15. The Comets kept the lead and went on to win the set, 26-24. The Britons forced a deciding set by winning the fourth set, 25-17. The Comets won the match with a 15-8 victory in the fifth set.

Olivet's front row attack was led by sophomore Ellen Schulz (Freeland) with 12 kills, while seniors Mackenzie Heator (Union City) and Lindsey Tarrant (Metamora/Oxford) each had 11 kills. Heator and junior Krystal Heeres (Flushing) had four blocks (one solo and three assisted) a piece.

Sophomore Jenessa Hicks (Union City) tallied 21 set assists. Senior Courtney Lewis (Battle Creek/St. Philip) had 11 sets. Defensively, freshman Mallory Schug (Climax/Galesburg Augusta) topped the Comets with 29 digs. Also recording double digit digs were Tarrant (19), Hicks (13) and senior Natalee Singleton (Sand Lake/Lakeview) (13).

Olivet is back in action Friday when it hosts Kalamazoo College at The Cutler Event Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m.