The Malone University volleyball team earned a three-set sweep of Trevecca Nazarene University Saturday in Osborne Hall, topping the Trojans 25-21, 25-21, 25-18 in straight sets. The win was the fifth straight for the Pioneers, who improved to 10-6 on the season and 6-2 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
 
Recap
Both teams were firing on all cylinders in the first set, combining for 31 kills and just five attack errors. The Pioneers shot out to a 15-6 lead early on and managed to hold off a Trevecca surge, which closed the gap to 17-15. A short 3-0 run capped off by a Hannah Eliason killed gave Malone a five-point edge at 20-15 as the Trojans never came closer than three points down the stretch.
 
A competitive second set included 13 ties and nine lead changes as Malone struggled to replicate the success of the first set when they hit an impressive .406 attacking percentage. As usual, however, the Pioneers grinded on the defensive end and overcame a 20-16 deficit by winning nine of the final 10 points to earn the 25-21 second-set victory.
 
Malone pulled away in the third set, breaking a 10-10 deadlock with another 9-1 rally, highlighted by a 6-0 Maggie Hamrock service run. Trevecca closed to within four points briefly, but the Pioneers prevailed with their sixth sweep of the season.
 
Senior outside hitter Veronica Gehring tied a match-high with 11 kills in the victory, one shy of Friday night's season-high 12 kills in the win over Kentucky Wesleyan. Junior Hannah Eliason, was equally impressive, totaling 11 kills and just two errors on 19 swings (.474 attacking percentage).
 
Mallory Adams added nine kills while Georgia Kiko chipped in with a season-high six kill spikes. Setter Cathryn Miller provided 34 assists.
 
Freshman defensive specialist Abby Hasebein collected a team-high 12 digs in addition to her two aces in the service game. Senior libero Maggie Hamrock provided 10 digs while Miller and Adams each finished with four blocks.
 
Up Next
Malone will take on Lake Erie in a challenging home contest next Tuesday, September 25th at 7:00 pm.