The Malone University volleyball team picked up its second road victory in as many days, dispatching Ohio Valley University in four sets 25-22, 25-20, 17-25, 25-15 Saturday afternoon in Vienna, West Virginia. With the Great Midwest Athletic Conference win, the Pioneers improved to 9-3 in the G-MAC and 13-8 overall on the season. OVU, meanwhile, fell to 3-11 in conference and 6-13 overall.
 
Outstanding senior outside hitter Veronica Gehring reached 1,000 career kills in the victory. Entering the match needing just five kills, Gehring achieved the milestone midway through the second set. She ended the day with a team-high 14 kills in the four-setter, marking her ninth consecutive match with at least 10 kills.
 
Recap
The Pioneers recovered from a slow start in which they saw themselves down 6-1 in the early going, bouncing back to win the opener 25-22. Down 18-20, Malone won the next five points before eventually claiming the set on a kill by Faith Lau. The Pioneers never trailed in the second set as Gehring and Hannah Eliason combined for eight of the team's 15 kills.
 
The home team fought back in the third set, limiting Malone to eight kills and forcing eight attack errors. But the Pioneers responded in a big way in the fourth set, producing 16 kills, including five by Gehring, and a .333 attacking percentage while holding the Fighting Scots to a .103 mark. The Pioneers never trailed in the final frame but were springboarded to the win on an early 7-0 rally.
 
Hannah Eliason added to Gehring's 14 kills with 13 kills of her own. Mallory Adams added a dozen kills and setter Cathryn Miller handed out 45 assists. Defensive specialists Sydney Black and Elizabeth Selleny each produced three aces in the service game.
 
Miller, Eliason, and Adams each registered six blocks to lead the Pioneers' defensive efforts. Rachel Santos, who had four kills, added three blocks, while Faith Lau, who recorded six kills, collected 12 digs. Libero Abby Hasebein led the team with 14 digs in the win. Selleny chipped in with a baker's dozen.
 
Ohio Valley libero Kalyn Makimoto scooped up a match-high 24 digs.
 
Up Next
Malone will compete in the Midwest Region Crossover next weekend in Indianapolis. Pairings for the two-day event will be announced on Sunday.