The Malone University volleyball team snapped a mini two-match losing streak with a three-set sweep of Ohio Dominican University Friday night in Columbus. The 25-16, 25-19, 25-23 victory lifted Malone to 12-8 on the season and 8-3 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The host Panthers, meanwhile, dropped their 14th straight match to fall to 2-17 on the year, 0-11 in the G-MAC.
 
Recap
The Pioneer attack started off red-hot with nine kills on their first 11 swings and never trailed during the 25-16 set-one win. Junior middle hitter Hannah Eliason was virtually unstoppable in the frame, compiling eight of Malone's 17 kills. After hitting .371 in the first, the Pioneers backed it up with a .333 attack percentage in the second set in which they never trailed by more than two points. Down for the final time at 16-17, Malone pulled away on a 9-2 run capped by a Rachel Santos kill.
 
In a seesaw third set, the two teams were tied on 15 separate occasions and the lead switched sides eight times, but the Pioneers broke a 23-23 tie with a Mallory Adams kill and a Faith Lau match-clinching service ace.
 
Malone landed a total of 50 kills in the match, the most in a three-set match since spiking 54 kills against Notre Dame in 2016. The Pioneers also posted a .297 attack percentage, marking the second-best mark of the season.
 
Hannah Eliason ended the night with 17 kills and a season-high .455 attacking percentage (two errors, 33 attacks). Eliason's 17 kills were the most by a Pioneer in a three-set match since Jennifer Gahagan tallied 18 in a 2010 match against Mt. Vernon Nazarene.
 
Senior outside hitter Veronica Gehring added 11 kills on a season-high .417 attacking percentage (one error, 24 attacks). Gehring now sits just five kills shy of 1,000 for her career. Classmate Mallory Adams, who is nearing 1,200 kills in her career, added 10 kills and just three errors on 17 attacks (.412 hitting percentage).
 
Junior outside hitter Faith Lau chipped in with eight kills and a pair of aces while senior setter Cathryn Miller handed out 40 assists. Miller's 40 assists were her most-ever in a three-set match and the most by a Pioneer setter since Jackie Schwamberger distributed 47 in that same 2010 match vs. Mt. Vernon Nazarene.
 
Defensively, freshman Abby Hasebein, making her first appearance as the Pioneer libero, collected a team-high 19 digs in addition to three aces in the service game. Lau chipped in with nine digs while Elizabeth Selleny matched a season-high with eight. Eliason, Adams, and Rachel Santos finished with three blocks each.
 
Up Next
Malone will continue G-MAC action on Saturday in a 1:00 pm match at Ohio Valley.