HIRAM, Ohio – October 26, 2024 – Hiram had all the momentum going its way before Wittenberg won seven of the last eight points in a thrilling four-set loss on Saturday afternoon at Price Gymnasium: 25-20, 25-17, 25-27, 25-23.

In the third set, the Terriers were two points away from defeat, answering 24-24 and 25-25 ties with two points of their own. A block by Andrya Hanmore put a finish to the set and kept Hiram in the match, forcing a fourth set against a team that entered play with the same conference record.

Hiram furthered that positive play with a strong start to the fourth set, as Kayla Franks perfectly placed a serve in between the Tigers defense to give her team an 8-5 lead. Hanmore kept it rolling and finished with four kills in the set to lift Hiram to a 22-18 lead, erupting one of the largest home crowds of the season and putting the Terriers three points away from forcing a fifth set after trailing by two sets.

Wittenberg then played some of its best volleyball at the most crucial stage of the match, recording kills on five of its last seven points to close out a conference clash that had frenetic energy throughout. Piper Ricketts and Alana Bartulovic fueled that rally and led all student-athletes in the match with 19 and 17 kills respectively.

The Terriers posted an impressive performance thanks to the efforts of their seniors, who were honored before the match for giving so much to the program and the institution of Hiram College. The veteran trio of Cate Maguire (11 kills), Hanmore (10) and Emily Richardson (9) spearheaded the attack, while Franks had two blocks and two service aces after sitting out the first set of the match. Seniors Brooke Norris and Sophia Grdina had a combined 35 digs to lead a relentless defense that held the Tigers to a .153 hitting percentage in the third set and .154 hitting percentage in the fourth set.

Beyond those six seniors, Hiram also honored Madison Russell, Samantha Telisman, Kyli Ricker, Karissa Zelenak, Erin Burke and Olivia Meany for their contributions to a memorable period in the history of Terriers women's volleyball. With three matches remaining on the team's regular-season schedule, there is still plenty more to accomplish and more memories to be made with a special group of student-athletes.

Hiram will look to begin that run on Tuesday, when it travels to Oberlin, Ohio for a conference match against the Yeowomen at 7 p.m. inside Philips Gymnasium.