OBERLIN, Ohio - November 7, 2023 - Hiram played a complete match on Tuesday evening at Philips Gymnasium, dominating the offensive end early and holding strong on the defensive side through the end of a four-set victory over Oberlin in the quarterfinals of the NCAC Tournament: 25-18, 25-13, 22-25, 25-19.
The win secures the team's spot in the semifinals of the year-end tourney for the second straight season. The Terriers will next play the top seed of the tournament, DePauw, on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Greencastle, Indiana, with a finals berth up for grabs.
Emily Richardson tied a season-high with 14 kills, while Cate Maguire added 13 kills and Claire Brunner tallied a career-high 11 kills. Brooke Fishback (21 assists) and Erin Burke (16) were consistent in setting up their teammates; Fishback also had the most service aces (4) of any student-athlete in the match.
The defense also played a critical role in the win, as Hiram had fewer attack errors than its opposition in each of the four sets. The Terriers had four student-athletes with multiple blocks in the game: Richardson (5), Andrya Hanmore (3), Karissa Zelenak (3) and Maguire (2). In terms of digs – Brooke Norris, Maddyn Corcoran and Burke each had 11 to help keep the ball in play.
Maguire had one of her best sets of the season in the first set, racking up 6 kills and keeping Hiram in front. The Terriers finished the set with 14 kills, their most in any set, and never trailed by more than one point during that span. The assertive start helped the team carve out a 1-0 lead in the match.
Momentum continued to trend in the Terriers direction; Hiram catapulted its way to a 5-0 lead in the second set behind two kills by Maguire and a pair of aces by Fishback. Maguire finished the set with 4 kills and 2 blocks, with Richardson chipping in 3 kills and 1 block. The road team won eight of the last 11 points in the set to pull ahead by two sets.
Oberlin fended off a 5-point deficit in what turned out to be a thrilling, come-from-behind third set. The Yeowomen, who entered play leading the conference in hitting percentage, had a solid .178 clip to trim the Hiram lead to 2-1.
The Terriers wouldn't slip any further, scoring eight of the first nine points in the fourth set thanks to a defense that forced Oberlin into multiple attack errors and bad sets. Richardson would later pick up another 4 kills to fuel the rest of the production and propel Hiram to a road victory in the postseason.
All attention will now turn to Friday, when Hiram will make the trip to Neal Fieldhouse for the second time this season (lost at DePauw on October 7). The two teams met in last year's NCAC Tournament, too, with the Terriers prevailing in straight sets in that matchup.
It all starts at 7:30 p.m., with the winner taking on either Ohio Wesleyan or Wittenberg in the finals.
