CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University volleyball team was defeated by Walsh University 3-0 at home in the team's annual Breast Cancer Awareness match. The loss drops the Pioneers to 5-11 overall while the Cavaliers are 11-5.
The match started with Walsh taking a slight lead that they would not relinquish for the duration of a 25-21 first set. They were up 11-5 prior to junior
Annika Nichols recording a pair of kills to help get Malone back to within a few points. The Cavaliers would extend their lead to 19-10, but a string of five points out of six for Malone got them back into it. Senior
Gabby Pelfrey served up an ace to cap a five-point run for the Pioneers to get to 23-21, but Walsh got the final two points to nab the set victory.
The Cavaliers secured the first five points to begin the second and pulled away throughout en route to a 25-17 victory. Walsh secured 11 kills to just two errors in the set and overcame Malone having their best hitting percentage of the match at .135 (14 kills, nine errors). Sophomore
Jaymes Gilbert had four kills in that set alone.
Freshmen
Helaina Edgar found sophomore
Laiken Wallick for the first point of set three, but the rest of the third did not go the Pioneers' way. The Cavaliers made quick work of the Pioneers to wrap up the match by a score of 25-13. Sophomore
Brianne Salinas had three of the team's nine kills in the set, but eight errors doomed the result.
Nichols had a team-high nine kills and the team won the total 35-32. Walsh's eight blocks and eight aces helped spark the opponents. Edgar recorded 17 assists and senior
Macy McCauley dug out 17 attacks.
It is a quick turnaround for the Pioneers as they face Lake Erie College on Friday, October 11 at 7:00 P.M.
