HIRAM, Ohio - November 13, 2025 - Hiram's Morgan Tomblin had a career day on Thursday night, putting up 24 kills – 10 more than any other career game – as part of a five-set victory in the semifinals of the PAC Tournament inside Price Gymnasium: 25-15, 15-25,19-25, 25-15, 15-12.

The memorable day for Tomblin helped secure Hiram's spot in the PAC Championship, which will be on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Grove City. The final will be Hiram's first since 2018, when the team beat Wooster and DePauw before losing in the NCAC Championship to Wittenberg.

Tomblin had 24 kills and just five attack errors, giving her a remarkable attack percentage of .396. Maggie Riley added 17 kills and Sofia Smotek had 12 kills, while Kelly Hoffman set a new career-high with 59 assists. Smotek also tallied 24 digs as part of a valiant defensive effort that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory.

It was a feverish environment at the outset, as the north side of the Price Gymnasium stands were packed with fans from both sides. Hiram rode that early energy to a 9-3 lead in the first set, capped by blocks from Riley France and Hoffman to force a Titans timeout.

The balanced attack of the Terriers proved to be the key in taking the opening frame, as the home team forced another Westminster timeout while leading 18-10. Hiram had four different student-athletes with multiple kills in the set – which ultimately ended in a 25-15 win – highlighted by Riley (six), Tomblin (five) and France (three). Hiram had a dominant .457 hitting percentage in the first set (17 kills, one attack error), one of its best marks for a single set this season.

The tide turned in the road team's favor in set two, with a 4-0 run by the Titans carrying them to a 16-11 advantage. Shortly thereafter, a 3-1 run led to a second Hiram timeout and eventually a 25-15 score to even the match at one set apiece.

It was a back-and-forth affair at the start of the third set, with Westminster jumping out to an 11-5 advantage before Hiram cut it to a 12-11 deficit. The Terriers notably scored three consecutive points on the serve of Kelly Hoffman during that span.

The teams continued to trade points before the Titans took a 21-17 lead to force a Terriers timeout. Westminster eventually scored six of the last eight points in the set to claim a 2-1 lead and quiet the home crowd.

Hiram made sure to force another five-set battle against the Titans, with Tomblin tallying three consecutive kills to give the Terriers a 12-5 lead, which marked its largest lead since the opening set. That run then expanded to double-digits, with Tomblin already reaching her new career-high for kills in a single match, recording three more kills to make it a 16-6 score.

Tomblin finished with eight kills in the fourth set, fueling Hiram to a 25-15 set win. It also was the third set that was decided by double-digit points.

The dominance from Tomblin didn't stop there.

Tomblin again recorded three straight kills and proceeded to have a fourth kill to give Hiram a 4-1 lead to start the fifth set. Westminster responded and grabbed a 7-6 lead, but the serving of Riley lifted her team to four straight points and an advantage of 10-8.

For the third straight time against the Titans, Hiram played its best in the biggest moments, with Tomblin racking up another three crucial kills down the stretch to give her team the win. Tomblin finished with eight kills in the fourth set and seven kills in the fifth set, igniting the home crowd and lifting her team one win closer to a conference title.

Hiram will have a chance to win that title on Saturday, when it hosts Grove City inside Price Gymnasium at 7 p.m.