The Malone University volleyball team tallied a season-high 43 kills in three-set matches but it wasn't enough as the Pioneers fell to 5-15 on the season with a 17-25, 25-27, 23-25 loss to the Prairie Stars of Illinois Springfield.  

The Prairie Stars took set one after limiting Malone to a .154 attack percentage while hitting impressive .409 on their own. The Pioneers settled down in second and third sets outhitting the Prairie Stars .269 to .221. Malone held leads in both sets, including a set-point opportunity in the second frame, but couldn't hang on for the win.

Veronica Gehring was outstanding for the Pioneers, registering a career-high .556 attack percentage after collecting 10 kills and no errors on 18 swings. Elizabeth Maczuzak also played well on offense for the Pioneers, finishing with a team-high 11 kills and just two attack errors (.360 average). Sarah Brent and Mallory Adams added 9 and 8 kills respectively. Cathryn Miller was the beneficiary of the Pioneers' attack as she finished the match with 36 assists, including 15 in the final set.

Miller earned her 4th double-double of the season after collecting a team-high 13 digs. Jordan Cloyd and Maggie Hamrock added 11 and 10 digs respectively. The Pioneers tied a season-low with just 2.0 team blocks.

For the Prairie Stars, libero Kayla Katarzynski, coming into the match averaging just over 10 digs per three sets, tallied a season-high 26 digs.

The Pioneers finish their road trip with two matches tomorrow (Saturday), facing Quincy University (IL) at 11:00 am and William Jewel College (MO) at 5:00 pm. Live stats for the finale will be found here:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/jewell/wvball/