HIRAM, Ohio – September 18, 2024 – Hiram women's volleyball fell short against a formidable opponent on Wednesday evening at Price Gymnasium, as the Terriers stayed levelheaded throughout the match before ultimately losing in three sets: 25-14, 25-16, 25-13.
Emily Richardson, who was coming off a career-high 17 kills against Kalamazoo on Saturday, picked up right where she left off with a team-high seven kills. Richardson now has 92 kills this season and 745 for her career, as she continues her pursuit of becoming the 11th student-athlete in program history to reach 1,000 career kills.
Cate Maguire was also entering the match with some momentum as the reigning NCAC Athlete of the Week. The senior chipped in six kills, while first-year Sydney Wenzel had several highlight-reel moments as part of her four kills.
The Purple Raiders played well throughout the match, building upon their 7-2 start to the season with their first road victory of 2024. Mount Union has now posted three-set wins in six of its eight victories this season and is riding a five-match winning streak in non-conference play.
Momentum played a key role in the early stages; UMU had a 5-0 and 6-0 run in the first set before rattling off another six consecutive points midway through the second set. Hiram's tandem of setters – Kelly Hoffman and Brooke Fishback – kept their team within striking distance despite the rallies, as both finished with 10 assists.
The Purple Raiders posted their lowest hitting percentage in the third set (.118), but played strong defense to take a 25-13 win in the third set and clinch the match.
Hiram will look to return to .500 when it travels to Michigan this weekend; the Terriers will play at Adrian on Friday at 7 p.m. and at Alma on Saturday at 11 a.m. Full coverage for both matches can be found on hiramterriers.com/sports/wvball/schedule.
