OWENSBORO, Ky. – The Malone University volleyball team snapped their seven-match losing streak on Saturday with a thrilling 3-2 win over Kentucky Wesleyan College. The Pioneers trailed 2-0, but managed to storm all the way back to win in the fifth set to go to 3-8 on the season and 1-1 inside the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). The Panthers remain winless at 0-11 and are 0-3 against league opponents.
 
Play was a little sloppy on both sides in the first set, but an 8-0 scoring run for Kentucky Wesleyan helped give them the lead at 15-11. An ace by Olivia Crabtree sparked some momentum for Malone and brought the score back to even at 21 apiece, but four of the final five points went to the Panthers in the 25-22 loss.
 
The second set was also tightly contested, but once again Kentucky Wesleyan was able to escape with a 25-23 win. The Pioneers were able to go up 11-6 in the set, but the Panthers chipped away at the deficit and eventually took control of the period. Annika Nichols had a pair of kills in the set.
 
Malone turned it around in set three and got the help of a negative hitting performance from Kentucky Wesleyan for a 25-17 victory. The Pioneers had ten kills in the third with Brianne Salinas securing two in the closing points.
 
The team's best hitting set came in the fourth at .333 and 12 kills and three errors. Mallory Meinen's kill helped give Malone a 9-3 edge and Grace Rosko knotted the match up at two with a kill at 25-17 once again.
 
In the fifth set, Jaymes Gilbert was credited with an ace as the Pioneers went up 6-3. The Panthers came back and netted three points in a row. Once the match was back to even, the teams traded points until it was tied at 15-15. A pair of errors by Kentucky Wesleyan allowed Malone to nab the victory, 17-15.
 
Macy McCauley dug out 29 opposing attacks in the match and Emma Weirich had a career-high 21. Meinen also had the best dig total of her career with 16 and had a new high in assists with 31. She led a diverse offensive attack with Salinas (11 kills) and Marissa Smith (10 kills) leading the charge.
 
The Pioneers will ride the win into their next match at Walsh University on Saturday, September 28. First serve is scheduled for 4:00 P.M.