ALLIANCE, Ohio – September 28, 2021 – Hiram women's volleyball dropped a hard-fought match at Mount Union on Tuesday night, falling 3-2.

Set one started with an even battle as both teams traded points early on. After a kill by Kiara Franks, Hiram held a 12-10 lead. Mount Union proceeded to rip off a nine-point run taking a 19-12 lead. The Purple Raiders secured four of the final five points of the set winning 25-17.

The Terriers opened up set two with a streak of their own posting seven-straight points that included two Kayla Cole kills. Hiram put up four points in-a-row after a mini Mount Union run extending their lead to 11-4. After going down 16-10, the Purple Raiders had their biggest run of the second set with five consecutive points. Clinging to a 16-15 lead, Hiram pulled away winning 25-21.

In set three, Mount Union exploded for an eleven point run after a back-and-forth start. The home side commanded with a 15-7 lead. An Emily Richardson kill cut the lead to 17-11, but it wasn't enough as Mount handled the lead winning set three, 25-17.

Looking to force a fifth set, Hiram opened up set four with a 12-7 lead after back-to-back kills from Richardson. Hoping to put the match away, the Purple Raiders scored six points in-a-row holding onto a 19-15 lead. Down 23-17, Hiram blasted off with an eight-point run winning set four 25-23 after a Franks service ace.

Heading into the fifth set, Hiram was looking for their second fifth match victory in-a-row. After an attack error by the Purple Raiders, the road team held a 9-5 advantage. Mount Union however, went on a run that saw them score seven of the next eight points, eventually winning 15-12.

Five different Terriers crossed the double-digit mark in digs on the night. Franks led with 20, followed by Mackenzie Brannon with 18 and Cole with 16. Emily Chrustic and Miya Gotto also reached the mark with 11 and then.

Both Franks and Cole led in kills with 14 each. Richardson posted 13 with three solo blocks. Madison Burns was atop the assist column with a team high 27.

With the loss, Hiram falls to 9-8 on the season in the non-conference matchup.

The team picks back up again with North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) play on Saturday, Oct. 2 with a battle vs. Denison at 1 p.m. inside Price Gymnasium.