By: Andrew Korba

MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Hiram College volleyball team swept past Allegheny (Pa.) 25-13, 25-15, 25-15 in its final NCAC regular season contest on Tuesday.

The Terriers are now 19-7 on the season and conclude conference play with a 5-3 mark, while the Gators are 15-10, 2-6.

Hiram will be the No. 4 seed in the NCAC Tournament, which begins on November 6 at Wittenberg. The Terriers will take on fifth seeded Denison in the first round at a time that has yet to be determined.

Senior Katie Barton (Newbury, Ohio/Newbury) paced the Hiram offensive attack with 12 kills and senior Logan Brewer (New Franklin, Ohio/Manchester) added a season-best output of 11, with a .556 hiting percentage.

Junior Claire Maier (Huntsville, Ohio/Indian Lake) finished with 34 assists and junior Laura Kelly (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) posted a match-high 20 digs.

The Terriers took control of the match right away, scoring 12 of the first 14 points to build an early 12-2 lead. Hiram would never relinquish the lead, taking the opening frame 25-13.

In Set 2, Hiram used a 5-0 run to open up a 10-4 advantage. Allegheny would pull to within 16-14, before the Terriers closed the set on a 9-1 run, taking it 25-15.

Hiram jumped out to a 16-7 lead in the third frame. The Gators would counter with the next four points, but the Terriers slowly pulled away and a kill by junior Marissa Jay (Parma, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) clinched the set and match by a 25-15 count.

Hiram hit .223 in the victory, recording 41 total kills. Allegheny would hit -.061 and finished with just 15 kills.

The Terriers will return to action on Friday and Saturday at the Barker Classic hosted by Illinois Wesleyan. The Terriers will play three nationally ranked opponents, beginning with a 6:30 p.m. EST contest against No. 20 Chicago (Ill.) and a 8:30 p.m. EST match against No. 14 Carthage (Wis.) on Friday.