HIRAM, Ohio – September 30, 2023 – Hiram did everything it could to win another conference matchup against tough competition, but the team lost in its first five-set match of the season against Denison on Saturday afternoon at Price Gymnasium: 25-19, 20-25, 25-21, 21-25, 9-15.

The Terriers were solid in all facets of the game, with three different student-athletes recording at least 8 kills and three different players recording 10+ digs. Brooke Fishback (16 assists) and Erin Burke (11) did a good job of setting up Cate Maguire (12 kills), Emily Richardson (12) and Claire Brunner (8) throughout the highly competitive match.

Hiram would win the first three points of the match and not look back from there in the first set. An 8-0 rally behind strong serving from Fishback was the difference-maker in taking command early on.

The Big Red found their groove on the offensive end in the second set, tallying 19 kills on just four errors to level the score at one set apiece. The Terriers never trailed by more than six points in the set.

Hiram returned to its winning ways in the third set, with Maguire racking up three kills and two blocks during that span. It was a set that saw the Terriers play with consistency; the team's largest run in the set was three points, but the Big Red's largest run was just two points.

In the fourth set, Hiram held a 19-18 lead thanks to a kill by Richardson, which was one of her four kills in the set. Denison responded in a big way, though, by scoring seven of the last nine points to force a decisive fifth set.

The back-and-forth nature of the match led to a large swing in both directions in the fifth; Denison had a 5- and 4-point run, while the Terriers saved five straight match points to bring the score to 14-9. Sophia Sobota would wrap up the match with a kill, ending a hard-fought effort from a Hiram team that has played some of its best volleyball in recent weeks.

Hiram will finish its three-game homestand on Wednesday, when it hosts Washington & Jefferson at 6 p.m. inside Price Gymnasium.