HIRAM, Ohio – January 20, 2023 – Hiram picked up its first win of the season in a 4-set match (25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 25-22) against Kentucky State as part of the Hiram Invitational on Friday late afternoon.

Kyle Martini led the team with 15 kills, with Jackson Deubner (14), Connor Tilton (7) and Garrett Scheidegger (7) trailing behind. Tilton was all over the court, as he also recorded a season-high 13 digs to go with his offensive attack. Matthew Albano capped off the production with 34 assists and 8 digs.

The Terriers went on a 7-0 run to take an 11-4 lead in the first set, with Jarod Leynes putting up quality serves and the Hiram defense getting blocks from Deubner and Scheidegger. Deubner would finish the set with 3 kills, including the decisive blow to give the home team a 25-19 win in the set.

Kentucky State fought back and evened the match at one set apiece thanks to the play of Jordan Howard, who finished the second set with four kills. Hiram closed the gap to 24-23 before falling short in the set.

Hiram won the momentum game in the third set, as it trailed 13-11 before scoring 12 of the final 19 points to pull ahead. Martini, Deubner, Scheidegger and Tilton all had kills throughout that closing stretch of the set.

In the fourth set, the Terriers once again had success with Leynes serving the ball. They scored 5 straight points on his serve to take an early 9-4 advantage. The lead would grow as large as 8 points before a back-and-forth finish went in Hiram's favor. Martini recorded a kill to give his team a match point; a KSU service error was the final moment of the team's first victory of the 2023 campaign.

The Terriers continue play at the Hiram Invitational on Saturday against Alderson Broaddus at 12 p.m. and Adrian College at 4 p.m.