The Malone University volleyball team made quick work of Ursuline College Friday night in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference East Division showdown, taking down the Arrows in three sets in front of a sizable home crowd. The Pioneers improved to 11-4 on the season and 6-1 in the G-MAC and upped their winning streak to six straight matches with a convincing 25-21, 25-16, 25-22 sweep.  The six-match winning streak ties the longest such streak since Malone won a half dozen straight early in the 2012 season.
 
Recap
Malone opened the match up 5-1 but quickly fell behind 13-9. Still down 16-12 later in the opening set, the Pioneers reeled off seven straight points on a Sydney Black service run that featured two Faith Lau kills and an ace. The Arrows cut the lead to 19-17, but failed to get any closer as three key by kills by Veronica Gehring down the stretch helped Malone clinch the first set.
 
In the second set, Malone overcame an early three-point deficit before eventually winning six of the final seven points to take a 2-0 lead. In the third, the Pioneers jumped out to a 13-6 lead before the Arrows responded with a 13-5 rally that put them up by one. Malone won the next four points, however, and held on for the sweep. Of Malone's 11 wins this season, only three have come in straight sets.
 
Faith Lau finished with a match-high 10 kills to lead the Malone attack. Mallory Adams contributed nine kills while Veronica Gehring totaled seven on just 14 swings. Hannah Eliason chipped in with six kills. Abbie Swaino posted a team-high 15 assists while Cathryn Miller collected 14. Defensive specialist Sydney Black tossed up a career-high four service aces.
 
Maggie Hamrock dug up a team-high 12 balls for the Pioneers who held Ursuline to a .108 attacking percentage and 32 total kills. Adams finished with a team-high four blocks. Gehring and Eliason were each in on three.
 
Up Next:
Malone will face Lake Erie College on Saturday in a crucial G-MAC East Division home match at 2:00 pm. The Pioneers enter the match in a three way tie with Lake Erie and Walsh atop G-MAC East standings.