The Malone University volleyball team improved to 18-11 on the season and 12-5 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference with a 25-20, 25-16, 25-19 sweep of Ursuline College Friday night in Pepper Pike. The win marked the fourth straight for the Pioneers, who will play their final regular season match on Saturday ahead of their G-MAC Championship Quarterfinal match next Thursday.
 
Recap
Malone overcame a three-point deficit early in the first set on the strength of a 7-1 rally midway through. The Pioneers won four of the final five points and sealed the set on a Maggie Hamrock service ace. Malone led from start to finish in the second set, hitting a robust .385 with 19 kills on just 39 attacks.
 
In the third, Malone trailed 16-12 before reeling off an 11-0 streak on a Sydney Black service run that featured four Pioneer blocks. Ursuline closed to within four points at 23-19, but the Pioneers captured the victory on a Veronica Gehring kill and a Faith Lau service ace. The three-set sweep was Malone's sixth of the season.
 
The Pioneers ended the night with nine blocks and held the Arrows to a .092 attacking percentage. Malone, meanwhile, hit .278 and totaled 41 kills, the most in a three-set match this season.
 
Mallory Adams recorded a career-high .667 attacking percentage with 11 kills and just one error on 15 swings.  Rachel Santos totaled nine kills and a lone error on 17 swings as she registered a season-high .471 attack percentage. Veronica Gehring added seven kills while Cathryn Miller (15), Abbie Swaino (12), and Elizabeth Selleny (7) combined on 34 assists.
 
Maggie Hamrock and Sydney Black each contributed a pair of service aces and a team-high nine digs on defense.  Adams recorded five blocks to lead the defense at the net. Miller and Hannah Eliason chipped in with four and three blocks respectively.
 
Up Next
Malone will close out the regular season against G-MAC East Division Champions Lake Erie College on Saturday at 11:00 am. Fans can watch the match on portal.stretchinternet.com/malone.