ADRIAN, Michigan - January 16, 2025 - Hiram entered the day having never beaten the Adrian Bulldogs; despite a number of close and lengthy battles, the Terriers had an 0-6 record in the all-time matchup, which dates back to 2018.
That losing streak came to a screeching halt on Thursday evening.
The Terriers fell short in the first set before regaining their form and winning the final three sets against Adrian inside the Merillat Center: 21-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-19. The victory marks the first road win of the year, while also improving Hiram's record to 2-1 (beat Chatham at neutral site on Saturday).
It was a match full of big numbers for Hiram; Derek Chiang notched a career-high 15 kills, while Matthew Albano totaled a season-high 37 assists. Kyle Martini had five total blocks to lead the defense and Jackson Deubner led the rest of the offense with 13 kills.
On the Adrian side, Sam Landers paced the Bulldogs with 15 kills, with Beck Fieldhouse adding 11 kills. Despite their efforts, Adrian struggled with consistency, hitting .179 as a team compared to Hiram's .267.
Hiram won the match by progressively getting better throughout the evening, as Adrian's hitting percentage decreased from .320 to .161 to .152 to .107 from the first to the fourth set. The offense racked up at least 10 kills in each of the four sets, too, which helped in continuously applying pressure on the home team.
Despite four kills from Derek Chiang in the first set, the Bulldogs grabbed a 1-0 lead behind 13 kills and just five attack errors. Hiram led 14-12 in the set, but Adrian had 5-1 and 5-0 runs later in the set to pull ahead early.
Resilience was the key word in the second set, with Hiram erasing a 5-1 deficit thanks to the efforts of Deubner. The senior from Columbus, OH had five kills in the set, including the decisive blow to secure a 25-19 win.
The Terriers did a good job of pulling ahead and staying ahead in the third, with Derek Chiang, Albano and Deubner each recording a kill to carve out a 5-2 lead. The Bulldogs stayed within striking distance throughout the set until Hiram won six of the last eight points in the set, capped by another set-clinching kill from Deubner.
The momentum stayed with Hiram in the fourth set, as five of the team's first eight points in the set were won via kill. Derek Chiang had seven of his 15 kills in the closing set, and senior Connor Tilton had a pair of kills and a block to help fuel the team's final push to victory.
The Terriers will stay on the road and return to action next Tuesday, with a non-conference matchup at Mount Union set to begin at 7 p.m. inside Timken Gymnasium in Alliance, OH.
