The Malone University volleyball team dropped a tough five-set match with Lake Superior State University (MI) on day two of the Mizuno Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover in Aurora, Illinois.
 
In the back-and-forth match, the Pioneers captured the first set 25-23 but dropped the second set 21-25. Malone looked well on its way to a match victory after claiming a convincing win in the third set 25-15. The resilient LSSU squad battled back to even the match, however, with a 23-25 in the fourth set. With Malone leading 15-14 and serving for the match, the Lakers rattled off three straight kills to earn the 17-15 fifth-set win and their second overall victory this season.
 
Malone hit a season-high .297 with 65 kills in the loss. The Lakers, who entered the weekend hitting just .071 on the season, recorded a .267 attacking percentage and 59 kills. In the three set wins, LSSU hit .329 as Malone continued to struggle with the attack. The Pioneers also had troubles once again in the service game, committing 12 service errors and 10 reception errors, including five in the critical fourth set.
 
Offensively for Malone, Mallory Adams delivered a game-high 18 kills. Haley Kool was outstanding from her middle hitter position, tallying a career-high with 17 kills on a .556 attacking percentage. Veronica Gehring played a superb match as well, tying a career-high with 17 kills on a .351 hitting average. Hannah Meckstroth added a career-high six kills. Setters Tori Hall and Cathryn Miller were the beneficiaries of the Pioneers attack, compiling 28 and 25 assists respectively.
 
Lynsey Trusty, who added a team-high three service aces, paced the defense with 23 digs. Hall and defensive specialist Maggie Hamrock collected nine digs each. Kool and Hannah Eliason both finished with a trio of blocks.
 
Lake Superior State improved to 2-18 on the season while Malone dropped to 4-20 on the campaign. The Pioneers fell to 1-6 in five-set matches while also losing their 10th match of the season in which they won the first set. The Pioneers will get a much-needed break as they are off until October 28th, when they resume conference play in a home match with Davis & Elkins.