Hiram College

HIRAM, Ohio – October 17, 2026 – Hiram College women's volleyball earned an important PAC win over Franciscan before falling to John Carroll in five sets during a tri-match in Steubenville, OH on Saturday afternoon. 

The Terriers opened the day with a four-set victory over Franciscan, which entered Saturday as the No. 1 seed in the PAC, with Hiram right behind them. With the win, Hiram moved into a tie with the Barons for first place in the conference standings, holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. 

Following the big conference win, Hiram got off to a hot start against John Carroll, winning the first two sets before the Blue Streaks rallied to take the final three and earn a 3-2 victory. 

Game 1 

The Terriers took an important come-from-behind win in the opening set, putting them in a good position for the rest of the match. Trailing 10-3 and 12-5, Hiram scored seven consecutive points thanks to several Franciscan attacking errors. Courtney Johnson finished the run with back-to-back service aces. The rest of the set went back and forth, but Hiram came out on top behind two kills each from Sofia Smotek and Madelyn Petrulis following the 7-0 run. 

Franciscan responded with an intense 28-26 win in the second set. Neither team led by more than two points throughout the set. Megan Chiang led the Terriers' offense with six kills as the Barons evened the match at one set apiece. 

Chiang and the Terriers took control in the final two sets. In a back-and-forth third set, Hiram closed things out on a 6-2 run. Maggie Riley recorded two kills, while Smotek added a block late in the set to give the Terriers a 2-1 lead. 

Hiram controlled much of the fourth set, but Franciscan made things interesting late. With the Terriers holding a 22-16 lead, the Barons fought back to cut the deficit to 22-20. Chiang stepped up when it mattered most, recording two kills to close out the set and secure the win for Hiram. 

Chiang finished with a team-high 18 kills and added 14 digs. Smotek also recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 18 digs. Johnson finished with 21 assists, while Mia Nelson added 20 assists. Jacey English led the Terriers with 21 digs. 

Game 2 

Smotek came out hot to start the Terriers' second game of the day. The sophomore posted seven kills in the opening set to lead Hiram to a first-set victory. Kills by Madison Dustman, Petrulis and Chiang helped the Terriers close out the set. 

Riley gave Hiram a strong start in the second set with two service aces to put the Terriers ahead 8-4. That lead grew to 13-7 as Hiram's defense forced multiple attacking errors. Chiang and Smotek continued to lead the offense with several kills, helping the Terriers take the second set and move ahead 2-0. 

John Carroll found its rhythm in the third set, earning a dominant 25-14 victory. Back-to-back kills by Chiang gave Hiram some life while trailing 16-11, but the Blue Streaks pulled away late following several Hiram attacking errors. 

The Blue Streaks carried that momentum into the fourth and fifth sets, winning both to complete the comeback and take the match 3-2. 

Chiang finished with a game-high 16 kills, including seven across the final two sets. Smotek recorded another double-double with 13 kills and 20 digs, while English added 23 digs. 

Hiram will look to build on its important conference win over Franciscan as the Terriers continue their push near the top of the PAC standings. Hiram will travel to Waynesburg, PA, on Saturday, October 24, to take on the Yellow Jackets at 1 p.m.