CANTON, Ohio – The 2024 season kicked off for the Malone University volleyball team on Friday during the Hall of Fame City Challenge, hosted by the Pioneers and cross-town rivals Walsh University.
 
Malone went to five sets with fellow Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) opponent Thomas More University in the first match and prevailed 3-2 top open the year. After the Saints would dispose of Roosevelt University in straight sets, the Pioneers would fall to 1-1 on the season with a 3-1 loss to the Lakers in the final match inside Osborne Hall for the day.
 
MALONE vs THOMAS MORE RECAP:
Thomas More went ahead early with a 25-17 victory in set one. The Saints steadily increased their lead until it was at a set-high nine at 23-14. Malone would try to close the gap late with a rally capped off by a kill from Emma Weirich, but ultimately Thomas More would nab the set win.
 
The teams would trade long possessions in set number two, but the Pioneers came out on top after requiring an extra point, 26-25. The defense was key for Malone in the second as Macy McCauley dug out 10 opposing attacks in that set alone. The team would also take advantage of 12 miscues by the Saints in that time.
 
The third set was all Pioneers as the home squad came away with a 25-22 win that saw a match-high 15 kills and just six errors. Setters Gabby Pelfrey and Mallory Meinen found Marissa Smith often during the set, leading to six kills by the freshman and a combined 13 assists credited to the duo.
 
The score was tied nine times during a critical set four despite a match-high 11 errors from the Pioneers. They played through it and fought hard, but ultimately needed a fifth set to secure the match win after Thomas More pulled away 25-19 in the fourth.
 
Laiken Wallick, despite not playing in the first two sets, played the role of hero in set five with three kills for the team out of eight. An ace by Jaymes Gilbert forced the Saints into a timeout trailing 5-1 and they used their second down 10-6. That was when Wallick rattled off three straight Pioneer points and Gilbert put the match away with a 15-10 win in the fifth.
 
Smith and Brianne Salinas tied for the team lead with 11 kills apiece. Meinen (25) and Pelfrey (25) each had over 20 assists on the day and McCauley had 28 digs to go over 1,500 for her career.
 
MALONE vs ROOSEVELT RECAP:
In match two, Malone was dominant in the first, winning 25-17 thanks to a .406 hitting percentage (15 kills, two errors). They also had four aces in the set, two each by McCauley and Weirich.
 
Roosevelt would even the score at one with a 25-16 victory in the second. The Pioneers had 11 errors that were costly in turning the tables of the match. Smith, Weirich and Wallick all had three kills in the set, but an 8-for-24 mark on sideouts took the momentum out of the sails.
 
The Lakers would claim the third and fourth sets as well and the match, 3-1. Roosevelt were winners to the tune of 25-17 in the third and 25-21 in the fourth. Malone showed grit even while trailing, but the offense for the Lakers was too much with 16 kills in each of the final two frames.
 
As a team, Roosevelt hit .230 compared to the Pioneers at .149 and the Lakers tallied 10 more kills (57-to-47). Smith was the team leader with 13 kills followed by Weirich with 10. She would record a double-double with 11 digs as well.
 
UP NEXT:
The Hall of Fame City Challenge continues for the Pioneers on Saturday, September 7 against Point Park University (9 a.m.) and Seton Hill University (3:45 p.m.).