ERIE, Pa. -- The Malone University volleyball team opened up the 2022 season on Friday by participating in the Gannon-Mercyhurst Invitational.

The Pioneers dropped the opener to host No. 18 Gannon, but responded with a win over Notre Dame College in the nightcap.

THE ESSENTIALS

• Final Score: No. 18 Gannon University Golden Knights 3 - Malone University Pioneers 0
• Final Score: Malone University Pioneers 3 - Notre Dame College Falcons 2
• Records: Gannon (1-0) | Malone (1-1) | Notre Dame (0-2)
• Location: Erie, Pennsylvania | Highmark Events Center

THE MATCH | Gannon 3 - Malone 0
The Pioneers fell behind 12-3 in the opening set, and could not recover the rest of the way. 

MU did put down 12 kills in each of the next two frames, but ultimately the nationally ranked Golden Knights came away with the 3-0 sweep.

THE MATCH | Malone 3 - Notre Dame 2
Notre Dame took the first set 25-22, but the Pioneers responded with a 25-19 victory in set two. 

The Falcons won a hard-fought third set 25-23 to put Malone's backs against the wall, but MU rallied. 

The Pioneers cruised to a 25-15 win in the fourth set, and then scored three of the last four points in the decisive fifth set to pick up their first win of the season.

DETAILS
Anna Hopple got her senior campaign off to a monster start, finishing the day with a team-high 22 kills. She put down a career-high 17 in the win over Notre Dame. 

Junior Molly Bullion led Malone with a combined 47 assists on the day, including a career-high 30 against NDC.

Kristen Hankins was a force on the defensive side of the net, finishing with 12 total blocks. 11 of those came in Malone's 3-2 win over Notre Dame.

WHAT'S NEXT
Malone wraps up the tournament tomorrow with matches against both Mercyhurst University and Grand Valley State University. 

The Mercyhurst match is set for 10:00 a.m. The Pioneers will take on GVSU at 2:00 p.m. on the campus of Gannon University.

FOLLOW THE PIONEERS
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Malone University athletic programs this year follow the Pioneers on Twitter and Instagram, like Malone University Athletics on Facebook or visit www.malonepioneers.com.