UOlivet rallies to beat Kalamazoo in four sets

OLIVET, Mich. – The University of Olivet women's volleyball team came-from-behind to beat Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Kalamazoo College today inside the Cutler Event Center. After losing the first set, the Comets won the next three sets to claim the four-set victory over the Hornets.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Olivet defeated Kalamazoo 22-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-22
• Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 6-12 overall, 2-0 MIAA; Kalamazoo 8-10 overall, 0-2 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first set was full of scoring runs for both teams. The Hornets led by five points, 9-4. Olivet answered with a 6-0 spurt to take a 10-9 lead. Kalamazoo responded with five straight points for a 14-10 lead. The Comets countered with a 4-0 run to even the score. The Hornets had their own 4-0 spurt to take an 18-14 lead. Olivet did not recover from that deficit, as Kalamazoo went on to win the set, 25-22.
• The Comets led 3-1 in the second set before the Hornets scored three consecutive points for a 4-3 lead. A kill by senior Violet Porter tied the score at 4-4. A long service run by sophomore Kaylee McDaniel helped the Comets put nine unanswered points on the scoreboard. Kalamazoo came back to trim its deficit down to two points but did not get any closer.
• Olivet scored the first three points of the third set and held the lead for the entire set. The Comets' largest lead of the set was the 10-point differential at the end.
• The start of the fourth set was back-and-forth, with four tied scores. The Hornets held a 9-8 lead before five straight Olivet points made the score 13-9. The Comet lead increased to as many as five points, 22-17. Kalamazoo fought all the way back to make it a one-point game twice at 22-21 and 23-22. A kill by junior Julia Hall made the score 24-22. Off a Hornet attack, senior Jaydn Cary dug the ball and it went over the net for a kill.

FOR THE COMETS

• Olivet finished the match with 52 kills and a .133 attack percentage.
• Freshman Payton Smith slammed down a match-best 15 kills, followed by Hall with 13.
• Porter and freshman Hailey Day each had seven kills, while senior Isabella Wagasy had six.
• Four players reached double figures in digs, led by Cary's match-high 27.
• Sophomore Ashlynn Giannunzio was next with 18, followed by junior Olivia Still (14) and McDaniel (13).
• Sophomore Jordyn Smith dished out 43 assists.

UP NEXT

• The Comets play a 6:30 p.m. match next Wednesday, October 8, at Albion College.