The Malone University volleyball team fell to 1-1 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and 6-10 overall after a 25-23, 23-25, 20-25, 23-25 loss to Kentucky Wesleyan College Friday night in Owensboro, Kentucky. The host Panthers, meanwhile, improved to 7-6 overall, 2-0 in the G-MAC.
 
Recap
After a 7-1 run helped Malone overcome a five-point deficit in the first set, the Pioneers fought towards a 25-23 first-set victory on the Panthers' home floor  where they entered the match a perfect 5-0.  In a competitive second set, Malone battled back from a 20-16 deficit to tie the score at 23-23, but KWC won the next two points to tie the match at a set apiece.
 
Following a convincing win for the Panthers in set three, Malone took an 11-7 lead in the final frame, using a 6-0 run to open up a four-point advantage.  The momentum began to swing in favor of the home team, however, as Malone struggled to find consistent attacks. Still leading 23-21, Malone would lose the final four points of the match, including three on attack errors. The Pioneers were guilty of 11 attack errors in the set and 30 for the match as they produced a season-low .085 attacking percentage.
 
While the Pioneer offense struggled the generate points, the Malone defense lifted a season-high 101 team digs. In one of the better defensive matches of the season, the two teams combined for 212 total digs on 395 total attacks in the lengthy four-setter.
 
Playing all six rotations for the first time this season, freshman Kayla Jarosz recorded her first collegiate double-double in the defeat, tying a season-high with 17 kills to go along with a season-high 19 digs.  Fellow freshman Anna Mallette added eight kills while Brooklyn Sullivan chipped in with six. Elizabeth Selleny provided a team-high 29 assists in addition to 13 digs on the defensive end.
 
Senior libero Sydney Black collected a career-high 28 digs in an impressive back-row effort as she inched closer to 1,000 digs for her career. Black can reach the milestone with 13 digs in the Pioneers' next match.  Fellow senior Faith Lau moved closer to 900 career digs as she scooped up 20 on the night and now has 885 in her four-year career.  Mallette and Hannah Eliason were each credited with a team-high four blocks.
 
Jaylen McEwen led the Panthers with 19 kills and 24 digs.
 
Up Next
Malone continues its southern road trip with a 1:00 pm EDT (12:00 pm CDT) matchup at Trevecca Nazarene Saturday in Nashville.