In a wildly entertaining match that featured 38 ties and 20 lead changes, the Malone University volleyball team took defending Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) champion Hillsdale College to four sets Friday night in front of a rambunctious home crowd, but the hard-hitting Chargers prevailed with a 25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25 victory. With the loss, Malone dropped to 4-5 on the season and 0-1 in the G-MAC.
 
Recap
The lead switched sides five times in the opening set before Hillsdale, hanging on to a 20-19 advantage, rallied off four straight points to go ahead 24-19. Malone staved off two set-points before All-American right side hitter and 2017 G-MAC Player of the Year Paige VanderWall ended the frame with a kill.
 
The Pioneers fought back in the second set, running out to a commanding 14-9 lead. Hillsdale (5-3, 2-0 G-MAC) answered, however, with a 6-0 return run. The two squads then traded four-point swings before the Chargers eventually took the lead for good. Up 23-22, kills by VanderWall and fellow All-American Kara Vyletel gave Hillsdale a two sets to none lead.
 
The Pioneers refused to go down without a fight in third set, overcoming a relentless Charger attack. Hannah Eliason and Mallory Adams combined for 10 kills and four blocks in another seesaw stanza. Clinging to a 19-18 advantage, Malone rattled off four straight points to take control. A heads-up kill by setter Cathryn Miller followed by a set-clinching kill by Adams gave Malone new life.
 
In a grind-it-out fourth set, the two teams saw themselves tied 13 separate times as momentum swayed after seemingly every point. Malone managed a 22-20 lead late in the frame, but Hillsdale tallied seven of the last 10 points of the match. The Pioneers survived two match-points, but the third time was the charm for the Chargers who held on for the four-set victory.
 
Adams led Malone with 13 kills and three service aces while Eliason totaled 12 kills. Sophomore right side hitter Rachel Santos was outstanding in the match, hitting .321 and equaling a career-high with 11 kills. Miller collected 37 assists to go along with 14 digs on defense to earn her second double-double of the season.
 
Miller, who added a pair of service aces, was one of four Pioneers to reach double digits in digs as Faith Lau and Sydney Black tied for team-high honors with 17 apiece. Libero Maggie Hamrock chipped in with 14 digs. At the net, Adams, Eliason, and Veronica Gehring each totaled five blocks.
 
As a team, Malone collected 11 blocks and a season-high 81 digs against a stout Hillsdale attack. VanderWall led the Chargers with 22 kills while Vyletel added 15. Setter Lindsey Mertz handed out 49 assists while libero Taylor Wiese finished with a match-high 28 digs.
 
Up Next
Malone will hope to bounce back on Saturday when they visit Ursuline for another G-MAC showdown.