ANGOLA, Ind. - February 15, 2020 – Hiram Terriers men's volleyball picked up two five-set victories in their tri-match against Indiana Tech and Trine at the MTI Center on Saturday. With the pair of victories, the Terriers move to 5-5 on the season, while the Warriors drop to 2-2 and the Thunder drop to 3-7.

MATCH 1: Hiram 3, Indiana Tech 2
With a 9-3 run midway through the opening set, Hiram took a 15-9 lead over the Warriors on a block by Grant Phelan and Dangelo Boehner.

After two quick points from Indiana Tech, Hiram extended their lead to six, 17-11 on a kill by Tom Supan and an attack error.

From there, the Warriors and Terriers traded points, with Indiana Tech unable to close the gap. Up 21-17, the Terriers rattled off two-straight before the Warriors pulled within just three.

But Hiram finished off the first set with a 25-21 victory on two kills from Supan to take a 1-0 lead.

Hiram led early on in set two, but with the score knotted at 8-8, a 4-0 run gave the Warriors a lead they'd never relinquish. The Terriers pulled within one three times, but a 5-1 run made it a 22-17 lead for the Warriors.

The Terriers would pull within three on Phelan's kill, but two straight from the Warriors finished off the set, 25-20, to even the match at one set apiece.

With both teams trying to press their advantage and take a 2-1 lead, the third set saw eight ties. Neither team led by more than four points before the Terriers, with the score tied at 17, used a 6-1 run to take a 23-18 lead on Andrew Gard's kill.

Indiana Tech responded with a 5-1 run of their own to pull within one, 24-23, but a service error gave the set to the Terriers, 25-23.

The two sides again went back-and-forth in an evenly matched fourth set, with neither team able to build a lead larger than four. Up 20-19, Indiana Tech scored four-straight, but the Terriers answered with two kills from Supan to cut the lead to 23-21.

But with a service error and ace, the Warriors took the fourth set, 25-21, to force a fifth set.

Hiram opened an early, three-point lead on the Warriors in the fifth set, leading 5-2, 7-4 and 10-7 before the Warriors raced back to tie things up at 11-11. However, a 3-0 run keyed by Nathan Cassell and Gard's block gave Hiram a 14-11 lead before Gard smashed a kill to give the Terriers the set, 15-12, and the match, 3-2.

Supan led the Terriers with a game-high 19 kills, adding eight digs. Hunter Rock joined Supan in double-figures with 10 kills, while Andrew Diaz and Jake Lininger each tallied 22 assists.

Defensively, Cory Fischer led Hiram with a career-high 17 digs, and Lininger added a season-high 15, while Gard tallied a team-high four blocks.

MATCH 2: Hiram 3, Trine 2
With the Thunder up 4-1 early in the first set, Hiram and Trine traded runs. A 7-1 run for the Terriers, highlighted by two Supan kills, gave Hiram an 8-5 lead. But the Thunder answered with an 8-2 run of their own to take a 13-10 lead on a kill by Kyle Dixon.

Hiram quickly knotted the set at 16-all, and again at 18-all on a block by Phelan and Boehner, but the Thunder doubled-up the Terriers over the next nine points, taking a 24-21 lead.

On a kill by Supan and block by Rock and Boehner, Hiram pulled within one, 24-23, but Trine finished off the match with a kill from Parker Beale to take a 1-0 lead with the 25-23 victory.

However, the Terriers bounced back in set two. Down 18-11, Hiram roared back with a 9-3 run to knot the score at 21-21 on a kill by Gard. The Thunder scored the next two points to take a two-point lead, but Hiram won the serve back on an attack error and didn't give it back, scoring four-straight to take the second set, 25-23, and even the match at one set apiece.

Trine responded to take the third set breaking a 14-14 tie with a 7-2 run to take a 21-16 lead. The Terriers would pull within three on a kill by Gard and an attack error, but a service error and ace finished off the third set, giving the Thunder a 25-20 victory, and a 2-1 lead.

But once again, the Terriers had an answer. Hiram raced out to a 9-2 lead in the fourth set and further increased their lead to double-digits with a 6-2 run. The Terriers led by as many as 12 before Trine pulled within eight, 24-16, but Hiram wouldn't let the Thunder hold off set point twice, forcing a fifth set on a kill by Phelan to take the fourth set, 25-16.

And Hiram continued their momentum into the fifth set, scoring the first two points of the set on an ace and kill by Boehner before opening a 9-4 lead. But the Thunder wouldn't go away quietly, and Trine came all the way back to knot the score at 12-12.

Two-straight from Hiram followed by two-straight from Trine again tied the score, this time at 14-14, but Cole Filer's kill and Gard's block finished off the set for the Terriers, giving Hiram a 16-14 fifth-set win, and a 3-2 match victory.

Supan and Phelan each recorded double-doubles, their first of the season. Supan tallied a career-high 23 kills, adding 11 digs, while Phelan notched a season-high 10 kills, adding 11 digs.

Lininger led the Terriers with 30 assists, and Diaz added 13, while Fischer and Lininger again led Hiram defensively, with 15 and 12 digs apiece. Boehner also turned in an all-around effort, tying his career-high with nine kills and seven total blocks.

The Terriers will look to make it three-straight when they host Penn State Altoona on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Price Gymnasium in an AMCC conference matchup.