GROVE CITY, Pennsylvania - November 5, 2025 - Hiram clinched home-court advantage for the entirety of the PAC Tournament with a five-set win over Grove City on Wednesday evening: 19-25, 25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 15-12.

The victory gives Hiram a season-long 11-game win streak and a 23-2 overall record (14-1 PAC); the team's 14 conference wins are tied for its most in a single season in program history, while the 23 total wins is tied for the program's most wins in a season over the last decade (23 wins in 2018).

Most importantly, the victory gives the Terriers the PAC North Division title and the best regular-season record in the conference. Regardless of the team's outcome this Saturday against Thiel, Hiram will be playing inside Price Gymnasium for the entirety of the postseason tournament next week (quarterfinals on Tuesday, semifinals on Thursday and championship on Saturday). 

Hiram's Sofia Smotek had a team-high 20 kills, which marked her fourth contest this season with 20+ kills. Sydney Wenzel also stepped up in what was arguably the team's biggest match of the year, notching a season-high 14 kills (second-most kills in career).

Kelly Hoffman reached the 50-assist plateau for the third time in her career (all this season), while also having more digs than any other player in the match (30). Brooke Fishback added two service aces and 29 digs, along with Cyd'ni Taylor-Lewins, who had five total blocks.

Similar to the first meeting between the two teams, which saw Hiram win in four sets at home, the Wednesday evening affair followed a back-and-forth rhythm, with the Wolverines winning the first set before the Terriers battled back and won the following two sets. 

Hiram had found its form offensively in that second set (15 kills) before battling hard defensively in the third set (.085 opposing attack percentage). In the process, both Smotek and Wenzel were filling the stat sheet with effective attacks from the outside.

Grove City played one of the best sets in the match in the fourth, totaling 18 kills and just four attack errors during that span. Hiram led just once in the set (2-1), with the home team forcing a decisive fifth set with plenty on the line in terms of the race for seeding in the PAC Tournament. 

It was a team effort in the fifth set that propelled Hiram to a regular-season title, as each of the team's first 5 points came courtesy of kills by three different student-athletes (Smotek x2, Riley France x2, Maggie Riley). Despite facing 9-8 and 11-10 deficits in the set, Hiram went on a 5-1 run over the final 6 points – which included another kill from Smotek and a game-winning ace by Fishback – to seal the tight win.

The Terriers have one last test in the regular season, as they face the Thiel Tomcats this Saturday at 1 p.m. inside Price Gymnasium. Thiel won the first matchup between the two teams on Oct. 1.