Malone University Athletics

WHEELING, W.V. - The Malone University volleyball team fell to 4-10 overall with a 3-0 loss at Wheeling University (8-6) on Saturday afternoon. The opponents of the Pioneers hit .314 in the match, a near season-high against Malone.
 
Back-to-back kills from Hailey Conrad helped spark some early momentum for the visitors up 4-2, but the lead would not hold and the Cardinals pulled away to a 25-17 set one win. Conrad finished the first with four kills out of 11 for the team.
 
The block party from Friday night carried into Saturday's match early in set two with a combination block by Jaymes Gilbert and Kassidy Gorsuch, but a 6-0 run for Wheeling propelled the opposition to the lead and they would not look back from there. Two more scoring runs for the Cardinals allowed them to balloon the lead to 23-14 and they would secure the victory, 25-16.
 
A less-than-ideal start for Malone in the third down 14-4 would spell doom for the team in a 25-19 set three loss. The Pioneers would battle and force a late timeout with a pair of four-point runs capped off by kills from Gorsuch and Brianne Salinas, but the deficit would only shrink to as little as three at 21-18.
 
The Cardinals held strong advantages on points (57.0-38.0), kills (46-28) and digs (50-35), but Malone outblocked Wheeling 8-2. Conrad led the offense with seven kills and a .462 hitting percentage (one error). Helaina Edgar and Kelsey Williams tied for the team lead with 11 assists apiece. Gilbert had four block assists for the defense and Madalyn Coblentz recorded ten digs from the back row.
 
The Pioneers return to Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) action at Ashland University on Friday, October 2. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 P.M.