HIRAM, Ohio - October 24, 2023 - The Terriers women's volleyball team kept fighting on Tuesday, going back-and-forth with Oberlin for four sets before pulling away in commanding fashion in the fifth set of a victorious effort at Price Gymnasium: 24-26, 25-22, 20-25, 27-25, 15-7.
Hiram trailed 20-15 in the fourth set – five points from losing the match – before rattling off 12 of the next 17 points to force a decisive fifth set. The team would ride that momentum and jump ahead 7-2 in the fifth, a margin that held all the way to the finish.
"I thought we never gave up," head coach Brittany Dye said. "There were multiple times where we were down and in a hole – and we just fought our way back."
Cate Maguire would have an important kill to give the team a 25-24 lead in the fourth set and Brooke Norris would eventually finish off the set with a service ace. The no-quit mentality of the team shined bright, and it would lead the team to a fifth set that saw it win all seven points on Oberlin's serve.
"In the fifth set, we had a side out percentage of 100, which is incredible," Dye said.
Maguire finished the evening with a career-high 24 kills, while Brooke Fishback registered a season-high 29 assists. In terms of service aces, Norris had 3, while Brunner and Emily Richardson each had 1. Four different student-athletes had at least 14 digs to round out the night: Norris (17), Maddyn Corcoran (15), Claire Brunner (15) and Fishback (14).
"I thought Cate Maguire put the team on her back," Dye said. "Fishback did a good job feeding (Maguire). We had multiple people step up in the serving position and serve us back into games."
Hiram never backed down in the match, even after losing a 24-21 lead in a first set that finished with five consecutive points from the Yeowomen. The script would flip in the second set, with the Terriers erasing a 20-11 deficit and eventually leveling the match at one set apiece by a 25-22 score.
"That's a testament to their growth this season," Dye said. "In practice, we've been trying to do some different things, put some pressure on them, and give them game situations."
The Terriers cut a nine-point deficit to two in the third set thanks to another late run, but Oberlin would find its form and hold on for a 2-1 lead in the match.
Then came the memorable fourth set that proved to be the difference, with Maguire tallying five kills in the fourth set alone and Hiram going on a 6-0 run to turn a four-point hole (17-21) into a two-point lead (23-21). The attack of Maguire and the serve of Norris was enough to send the match to a fifth set.
"I thought they played together. It was so cohesive. Even when we made errors, we responded the right way, we bounced back. We didn't play perfect, but we just figured it out."
The rally in the fourth set led to a dominant fifth set, with Maguire picking up another four kills and the Terriers holding onto the lead for all but two points in the set. Brunner served out the match and helped the team win its final two points.
Hiram will play its final home game of the regular season on Saturday, when it hosts Ohio Wesleyan at 1 p.m. Senior Amber Fox will be honored before the game as part of the Senior Day festivities.
