The Malone University volleyball team pocketed two victories Saturday against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) opponent Lake Superior State University (MI) and non-conference competitor Alderson Broaddus University (WV).
In the opener, the Pioneers had their second strongest hitting match of the season, registering a .257 attacking percentage in a 25-21, 25-20, 25-14 victory over Lake Superior State.
The Pioneers featured a balanced offensive attack that saw five players hit seven or more kills. Elizabeth Maczuzak and Veronica Gehring lead the way with 9 kills each, Mallory Adams collected 8 kills, while Sarah Brent and Haley Kool each added 7 more. Cathryn Miller distributed 31 assists while Maczuzak and Adams both tallied 3 service aces
Defensively, Maggie Hamrock led the way with 12 digs while Heather Papp ended up with 8 of her own.
For the Lakers, libero Justice Kjolhede collected a game-high 18 digs.
In the nightcap, Malone earned a hard-fought 25-17, 23-25, 30-28, 24-26, 15-12 victory over Alderson Broaddus in front of a raucous home crowd. The Pioneers set season-highs with 59 kills on 216 attacks, 57 assists, and 102 digs in the marathon match.
Veronica Gehring and Mallory Adams led the offensive attack with 16 and 15 kills respectively. Elizabeth Maczuzak added 10 kills while Haley Kool finished with 8. Cathryn Miller set a new career-high with 55 assists in the match, surpassing her previous high of 40. Her 55 assists were the most by a Pioneer since Jackie Schwamberger had 58 in a 2011 match.
On defense, four Pioneers collected double-digit digs totals. Elizabeth Maczuzak recorded her 4th double-double on the year after collected a team-high 22 digs while adding a game-high 7 blocks. Maggie Hamrock added 19 digs while Lynsey Trusty chipped in with 17. Cathryn Miller added 4 blocks and 15 digs to record her 6th double-double of the season.
For the Battlers, libero Lauren Hogan, coming into the match ranked 12th in the nation with 5.82 digs per set, amassed a game-high 44 digs.
The Pioneers, now 9-17 on the year and 2-9 in the GLIAC, head back on the road next Friday, October 30th for a GLIAC matchup with Lake Erie.
