HIRAM, Ohio - April 6, 2024 - The Terriers finished the regular season with a critical, five-set win over Thiel that cements them in the No. 2 spot for this season's AMCC Tournament. Saturday also was a chance to celebrate seniors Brian Friedt and Jack Meinert, who were honored prior to the game as part of the Senior Day festivities.

With the victory, Hiram now has seven straight wins, just shy of the program-record nine consecutive wins in the 2021 season. The team also earned a spot in the AMCC Tournament semifinals, with the top-two seeds (Saint Vincent) getting byes in the first round. The Terriers will play the winner of #3 Thiel-#6 Geneva on Friday in Latrobe, PA, with the winner advancing to the championship game on Saturday.

For the seniors, Meinert and Friedt both started playing for the team in the 2023 campaign and have been assets to the team since joining last year. They look to aid Hiram in having a successful run in the conference tournament before graduation this May.

The match went back-and-forth over five sets, with Thiel taking the first set (25-19) then the Terriers taking the next two sets (25-13 & 25-20). The fourth set went back to Thiel in a close score (25-22), but the final set ended with Hiram making a strong statement to close out the contest (15-8).

Jackson Deubner led the game with a career-high in kills (20), with Kyle Martini (18) not too far behind in that category; both of their efforts helped Hiram come out on top. Matthew Albano contributed with 46 assists, giving him 888 assists for the season, which extends a program record for a single season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Garrett Scheidegger led the team in blocks (three), while the team held Thiel to a .113 hitting percentage with a -.097 percentage in the second set.

Both teams played on a high level throughout the match, knowing that a win for either team would clinch that No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.

Hiram will take some time to recuperate before traveling to Saint Vincent College for the AMCC Tournament semifinals on Friday at 7 p.m.