HIRAM, Ohio – November 4, 2026 – Hiram College women's volleyball team faced Grove City on Wednesday evening in its first meeting with the Wolverines since falling to them in the 2025 PAC Championship game. This time, the Terriers came out on top, defeating Grove City in four sets by scores of 20-25, 25-21, 28-26 and 25-19 inside College Arena.
With Wednesday's victory, Hiram remains in a three-way tie with Westminster and Chatham for first place in the PAC with one match remaining in the regular season. The top eight teams in the conference standings will earn a spot in the PAC Tournament.
After dropping the opening set, Hiram found its rhythm and battled back to claim the next three sets.
The second set featured a back-and-forth battle early on, as Megan Chiang and Sofia Smotek totaled a handful of kills to help even the score at 14-14. The Wolverines responded with four straight points on offense to build an 18-14 advantage. However, Hiram answered with a 7-0 surge, fueled by freshman Rebecca Volpe, who delivered three kills during the run. The Terriers carried that momentum into a 23-19 lead before closing out the set to even the match at one set apiece.
Much like the second set, Hiram found itself facing another deficit, trailing 23-17 late in the third. The Terriers showed their resilience, refusing to go down without a fight. Madison Dustman and Chiang each delivered a kill, while Courtney Johnson added a service ace to help spark a comeback that eventually tied the set at 23-23. Hiram later grabbed a 25-24 edge behind a block from Erin Winfield and Maggie Riley. The Terriers continued to battle down the stretch, with Volpe and Smotek delivering key kills to secure a thrilling 28-26 set victory.
Hiram carried its third-set momentum into the fourth, putting together its most commanding performance of the night. The Terriers jumped out to a 6-2 lead behind three early kills from Smotek before taking advantage of four consecutive Grove City attacking errors to extend their lead to 13-3. Hiram maintained control the rest of the way, using a balanced offensive attack to seal the set and complete the 3-1 victory.
Smotek led the Terriers offensively with 15 kills and 18 digs, while Chiang followed closely with 14 kills and 18 digs. Volpe also made a strong impact, recording nine kills with an impressive .375 hitting percentage. Johnson directed the offense with 32 assists while adding 20 digs and two service aces.
Hiram will close out the regular season on Saturday when it celebrates senior Maggie Riley on Senior Day against Washington & Jefferson. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside Price Gymnasium.
