GROVE CITY, Pennsylvania - April 7, 2026 - The Hiram Terriers defeated Grove City on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the PAC Tournament in a five-set, back-and-forth match. 

The victory gives Hiram its second straight PAC Tournament semifinal appearance, as well as its first PAC Tournament road win in program history. The Terriers advance in the six-team bracket and will now travel to face the No. 1 overall seed and the conference's regular-season champion, Thiel College, on Thursday.

The Terriers opened up in a loss in set one, losing 25-22, but they turned it around very quickly in sets two and three, winning 25-16 and 25-17. The Wolverines took back set four, winning 25-22, but the Terriers dominated the decisive set to take home the win (15-9).

The matchup was a testament to Hiram's adjustments, as the Terriers had previously lost to Grove City at home on Mar. 10 (3-0) and on the road this past Saturday (3-1). In the all-time matchup between the two teams, Hiram snapped a four-match losing streak and earned its second win over the Wolverines in program history (also in Feb. 2025).

In sets one and four, the Terriers posted their lowest hitting percentages, leading to a pair of tightly contested sets that ultimately ended in favor of the Wolverines. Hiram had good runs at certain points, but couldn't recover during those particular sets. 

In sets two and three, the Terriers took control early and maintained the lead to post a pair of convincing set wins. Hiram never trailed by more than one point during that span, while also posting four different scoring runs of at least four straight points.

In the 5th set, the road team came out energized and composed from the start. They jumped out to an 11-6 lead and finished the set without looking back. Dakotah Welsh was one of the biggest X-factors in the clutch moments, totaling four kills in the fifth set alone.

Many Terriers had strong performances, including double-digit digs and kills from multiple players. Cullen Sivak had 11 kills and 11 digs, while Derek Chiang had 10 kills and 15 digs. Welsh also shined, scoring 14 kills and hitting an astounding .357 as an outside. 

The Terriers move on to the PAC semifinals, where they will face the top-seeded and reigning champions, Thiel College, on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Greenville, PA.