HIRAM, Ohio – September 10, 2024 – Hiram made a grand entrance in its home opener on Tuesday, as it featured a balanced attack and a dominant defensive effort as part of a 3-0 sweep of Thiel at Price Gymnasium: 25-18, 27-25, 25-18.
The turning point in the match came in the decisive moments of the second set, when Hiram erased a 25-24 deficit and rattled off three straight points on a kill by Andrya Hanmore, a block by Cate Maguire and an attack error by the opposition. A feverish home crowd erupted in that moment, as the Terriers had moved one set closer to their first home win of the campaign.
It was smooth sailing from there, as Hiram never trailed in the third set enroute to a convincing win over a future PAC opponent. The depth of the home roster was on full display in the third set, as five different student-athletes recorded at least one kill, including four kills by Hanmore.
Hiram also had five student-athletes tally at least five kills for the entire match, a group that was spearheaded by first-year Sydney Wenzel, who had a career-high nine kills. Hanmore finished with eight kills, while Maguire (seven), Emily Richardson (five) and Morgan Tomblin (five) rounded out the key offensive contributors.
Brooke Fishback and Kelly Hoffman combined for 31 assists (18 and 13 respectively), with Brooke Norris and Wenzel teaming up for 30 digs (16 and 14 respectively). Hanmore and Maguire each had three blocks to put an exclamation mark on the stat sheet.
While the Terriers made their biggest move in the second set, they showcased their consistency throughout all three sets. Hiram had a .250 hitting percentage in the first set, .308 in the second set and .265 in the third set (.275 for the match); Thiel was held to a .074 hitting percentage in that same span.
All three of Hiram's victories this season have come in straight sets, with Tuesday marking the start of the team's first winning streak.
The Terriers will return to the court in less than 24 hours, as they host Heidelberg University on Wednesday at 6 p.m. from Price Gymnasium in Hiram, Ohio.
