CANTON, Ohio -- The Malone University volleyball program took the court in Osborne Hall for the second time in as many days on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers entertained the Oilers of the University of Findlay in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference match.

The Oilers (4-1, 4-1 G-MAC) jumped out to a quick lead in the match with a first set victory. The Pioneers (1-4, 1-4 G-MAC) answered back in a big way in the second set, but Findlay was able to withstand the comeback and close out the match with wins in the final two sets.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The University of Findlay got out to a hot start in the opening set. A five-point run put the Oilers up 11-6, and aided by their .355 hitting percentage they were able to take the opening set by a 25-15 score.

The Pioneers regrouped and flipped the script in set two. This time it was Malone who jumped out to an early lead. The Pioneers scored the opening six points before Findlay was able to counter with a score of their own. The Oilers continued to respond, and actually held a lead at 12-10 before another long scoring run from Malone started to put the match out of reach. Malone went ahead by as many as 17-12, and eventually closed out set two with a 25-22 win to even the match at 1-1. 

Set three was back-and-forth the entire way with neither team able to gain much of an advantage. Findlay led 20-17 late before a 4-1 Pioneer run put Malone on top. Kills from Anna Mallette and Anna Hopple combined with an Oiler error gave the Pioneers a 22-21 advantage. Unfortunately Findlay answered back with a 4-1 run of their own to win set three by a score of 25-23. 

The fourth set played on similar to the opening one. Three Oiler errors again combined with points from Mallette and Hopple got the Pioneers to within one point at 14-13. Findlay quickly responded however, scoring the next nine points of the match unanswered. They eventually closed out the match with a 25-15 win. 

PIONEER POINTS

• Anna Mallette totaled double-digit kills for the fourth consecutive match. The sophomore finished with a team-high 11. 

• Abbie Swaino assisted on 19 of the team's points, the second-most of the season for the senior. As a team Malone tied their season-high in assists with 32.

• Defensively the Pioneers also tied a season-high with three total blocks. 

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Pioneers will continue this long stretch of home matches next week when they host Tiffin University on Friday, February 12. Malone will host their Senior Day festivities prior to the 7:00 p.m. first serve.