The Malone University volleyball team gave NCAA Division II #20 Wheeling Jesuit University all it could handle in a non-conference match Saturday afternoon in Osborne Hall, but came up short in a four-set defeat, 21-25, 22-25, 25-23, 26-28. The loss dropped Malone to 11-8 on the season while the nationally-ranked Cardinals improved to 15-3.
 
Recap
Coming off of a five-set loss to Walsh in North Canton Friday night, the Pioneers bounced back with tremendous resolve on Saturday despite 20 first-set kills by Wheeling Jesuit's high-octane attack. Malone countered with 18 kills in the first frame and hit .312 against one of the nation's best.
 
A seesaw second set featured 17 ties and nine lead changes, but the Cardinals pulled away late, closing the frame on a 5-1 run.
 
Down by two sets in the third, Malone refused to go down without a fight, climbing back from an early five-point deficit. After eventually taking a 17-16 lead, the Pioneers would see themselves down once again at 20-22, but a 5-1 run that mirrored the Cardinals' run in the end of the second gave Malone a 25-23 win and forced a fourth.
 
The Pioneers overcame another five-point disadvantage in the final frame, turning a 7-12 deficit into a 16-13 lead with a 9-1 rally. Wheeling Jesuit answered, though, and eventually led 21-18 before Malone came charging back yet again.
 
The Pioneers held off match-point at 24-23 with a Rachel Santos kill and forced their own set-point with a Faith Lau service ace that put Malone ahead 25-24. Following a WJU kill, a kill by Lau gave Malone another set-point at 26-25, but two Cardinal kills sandwiched around a Pioneer attack error gave the visitors the victory.
 
The potent Jesuit attack delivered 68 kills in the match, including 27 by All-American candidate Cassie Meyer. Malone countered with 61 kills while the defense produced 13 total blocks.
 
Veronica Gehring led the Malone attack with 16 kills while Faith Lau tied a career-high with 15 kills. Mallory Adams totaled 12 kills and Rachel Santos and Hannah Eliason provided nine apiece.
 
Senior setter Cathryn Miller posted 44 assists in the match and eclipsed 3,000 in her career, becoming the first Pioneer setter since Jackie Schwamberger (2009-12) to reach the mark. Sophomore setter Elizabeth Selleny added 10 assists and eight digs in spot duty.
 
Senior libero Maggie Hamrock led the back row with 22 digs. Lau earned the double-double, collecting 16 digs, and Abby Hasebein chipped in with 13 digs. Adams led the front row defense with eight blocks, one shy of a season-high. Hannah Eliason recorded five blocks while Miller contributed four.
 
All-American Haley Kramer led Wheeling Jesuit with seven blocks to go along with 18 kills. Libero Audrey Francis totaled a match-high 34 digs and All-American setter Stephanie Sylvester, the DII leader in assists, finished the match with 62 helpers.
 
Up Next
Malone will be off until next Friday, October 5th when it resumes G-MAC play at Ohio Dominican.