HIRAM, Ohio - September 15, 2026 -Â Hiram women's volleyball welcomed the undefeated, 9-0 Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets to Price Gymnasium on Tuesday evening. The Terriers gave the Yellow Jackets all they could handle but ultimately fell 3-0, with set scores of 25-23, 25-23 and 25-22.
Despite the loss, Hiram outperformed Baldwin Wallace statistically, recording 49 kills to the Yellow Jackets' 38, 44 assists to 37 and 72 digs to 63. Megan Chiang paced the Terriers with 19 kills while Sofia Smotek followed with 13 kills. Commanding the offense was Courtney Johnson with 27 assists and 12 digs. Jacey English added a team-high 19 digs.Â
The first set featured multiple runs by both teams, as the Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 14-11 lead following a 5-1 run. Hiram quickly responded with a 6-0 run of its own to take a 17-14 lead, with Chiang and Smotek combining for three kills during the run.
After back-and-forth action, Hiram went on another 5-1 run to take a 23-21 lead. Baldwin Wallace, however, closed the set with four unanswered points to take the opening frame, 25-23.
Similarly to the first set, neither team was able to control the second set. Chiang dominated the frame with nine kills, including four consecutive kills that helped knot the score at 12-12.
Baldwin Wallace eventually built its largest lead of the set at 21-17, but back-to-back kills from Maggie Riley and Smotek brought the Terriers within one at 24-23. English came up with several point-saving digs throughout the set, preventing the Yellow Jackets from gaining control of the momentum.
A well-placed attack by Smotek narrowly missed the in-line, as the Terriers dropped the second set, 25-23.
Baldwin Wallace narrowly controlled the third set, recording 17 kills with just one attacking error for a .372 attacking percentage. After falling behind 18-12, Hiram battled back behind three kills from Rebecca Volpe, cutting the Yellow Jackets' lead to 23-22.
Baldwin Wallace, however, scored the final two points of the match to complete the 3-0 victory.
Hiram will take a short break from non-conference play before returning to action Saturday afternoon, when the Terriers host Chatham University in their first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup of the season. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
