MEADVILLE, Pennsylvania - September 19, 2025 - Hiram picked up its biggest win of the season on Friday evening at the David V. Wise Center, cruising to a straight set win over the defending PAC champions, Allegheny – who also was voted No. 1 in the 2025 PAC Preseason Poll. The final score was 25-14, 25-23, 25-22, with the Terriers never trailing by more than one point for the entirety of the conference matchup.

Hiram has now won seven straight matches, which marks its longest winning streak since October 2018, when the team won seven straight and eventually finished with a 23-5 record. The victory also gave the road team sole possession of first place in the PAC North Division.

The result is significant for many reasons, as Hiram had challenged Allegheny in a five-set loss on Sept. 28, 2024 before losing in three sets on Oct. 17, 2024. Those two defeats set the stage for an exciting 2025 matchup, with Hiram officially returning to the PAC and renewing a rivalry from the two teams' time in the NCAC.

As for the match itself, Hiram answered every challenge that was thrown its way. After dominating the first set, 25-14, with 16 kills and just three attack errors, the Terriers faced a furious run from the Gators in the second set. Despite leading by as many as 7 points (12-5 and 18-11), Allegheny rattled off 7 straight points to even the score at 18-18.

Two more kills gave the Gators a 20-19 lead in the second set, but Hiram responded with kills by Megan Chiang and Maggie Riley before a service ace from Brooke Fishback. Chiang added another kill and two errors from the home team lifted the Terriers to a nail-biting, 25-23 win in the set and 2-0 advantage in the match.

The third set again saw Hiram jump out to a big lead (12-6), but Allegheny maintained composure and cut the margin to just 2 points (20-18) in the later stages. As has been the case all season, Hiram came through, winning 5 of the final 9 points – all of which were assisted by Kelly Hoffman – to sweep the Gators on the road for the first time since 2019.

First-year Sofia Smotek had a team-high 12 kills and Riley led the squad with a .226 hitting percentage. The senior duo of Hoffman (32 assists) and Fishback (21 digs) each played a critical role – both on the stat sheet and as leaders of the team – to cap off a perfect night for the team.

Hiram will return to action on Wednesday, when it travels to New Wilmington, PA for a conference clash with Westminster at 7 p.m.