LATROBE, Pa. – September 4, 2021 – Hiram women's volleyball collected two victories Saturday afternoon at the final day of the Bearcat Challenge. The Terriers defeated host school Saint Vincent 3-0 and Waynesburg 3-0, finishing the event with three wins.
GAME 1: Hiram 3, Saint Vincent 0
The Terriers got off to the right start in set one getting off to a 4-0 lead with a Kayla Cole kill capping the early run. Hiram continued the momentum throughout the middle of the set building a lead of 15-7 before Saint Vincent called timeout. A back and forth ensued after the timeout, but the Terriers early lead gave them the cushion to take the first set. Hiram took four of the final five points of the set with Kiara Franks getting both a kill and a service ace to win 25-16.
Saint Vincent and Hiram traded points to start the second set with neither side pushing ahead too early. Franks had back-to-back kills giving the Terriers a 10-6 advantage. The Bearcats took a timeout and collected four of the next five points cutting the Hiram lead to 14-13. Each team went on three point runs as the second set stayed tight in the middle stages. Hiram ended the set with eight of the last nine points going their way at 25-19.
In the third set, Hiram took advantage of the midway mark, rattling off seven straight points in the middle portion of the set. After a slight 13-10 Saint Vincent lead, Hiram pushed ahead taking a 17-13 lead. The Bobcats would try to muster up a comeback attempt, but a Lyndsey Johns kill secured the set and the match at 25-17.
Franks and Cole led the way for Hiram in the kills department with 17 and 11. Freshman Mary Landis had 35 assists. Five different Terriers had double digit digs totals with Franks securing the most with 20. Cole and Mackenzie Brannon had 16, followed by Landis and fellow freshman Miya Gotto having 12.
GAME 2: Hiram 3, Waynesburg 0
A thundering start for Hiram saw them get off to a hot start at 8-0 with Franks picking up the kill. The Terriers gradually built up their lead over the first set as Waynesburg looked to make the comeback. After cutting the lead to 20-16, Hiram picked up the final five points of the set winning 25-16.
The second set between the two teams was neck and neck all the way until the final point. Waynesburg had three straight kills early in the set which was followed by an attack error from Hiram giving them an 8-4 lead. The back and forth affair would continue as the two teams would get to 17-17 after a Cole kill. As the two squads would tie it up at 24, Hiram finally prevailed. A Cole kill and a service error from Waynesburg would push Hiram to a 26-24 victory.
The third and final set saw Hiram explode midway through and never look back. After a 7-5 start to the set for the Terriers, an ensuing 12-2 run would take place. Cole picked up two kills in the final five points of the set as Hiram locked in a 25-18 victory over Waynesburg.
For the second match in a row Hiram had two collect ten or more kills. Cole and Freshman Emily Richardson led the way with ten each. Additionally, Cole led the way with 18 digs with Brannon just behind her at 17.
The team finished the Bearcat Challenge with three wins and are now 4-1 on the season. Hiram next plays at home vs. John Carroll on Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.
