HIRAM, OHIO - October 15, 2025 – The Terriers came out on top Wednesday evening in their conference match up against the Titans, taking home the close win in five sets after saving three match points and battling back from multiple deficits in the decisive frame.

With this win, Hiram has yet to face a loss at home (7-0), pushing its record to an impressive 16-2 overall and 8-1 record within the conference. Westminster fell to the fifth spot in the PAC North Division with a 4-5 conference record.

Set one was back-and-forth, with Westminster putting the Terriers in tough spots and inducing 10 attack errors during that span. Hiram fell just short, 25-22, a familiar spot after previous trailing to Westminster in the first meeting between the two teams..

The Terriers turned things around by taking back-to-back sets in the second and third, putting up a total of 28 kills and just nine attack errors during that span to push them into a more hopeful outcome for the evening. The play of Sofia Smotek and Maggie Riley was the fuel, as the pair combined for 36 kills over the course of the whole match.

The fifth and final set was where things took a turn for the better for the Terriers, as the team faced deficits of 4-2, 7-3, 11-7 and 14-12 before piecing together the magic that has catapulted the team into contention for a regular-season title.

Facing that 14-12 deficit, Hiram saved three match points and built up enough momentum to take the final set and wrap things up. Smotek saved match points with a pair of kills, while Riley did the same on a service ace. Smotek then teamed with her first-year teammate, Megan Chiang, with a pair of kills to turn a 15-15 tie into a 17-15 victory in the decisive set.

Next on the schedule for the Terriers is a road conference match against the Chatham Cougars at 12 p.m. on Saturday in Pittsburgh.