PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Cedarville gutted out a thrilling five-set road victory over Lake Erie, 3–2, on Friday night at the Jerome T. Osborne Center.
The Lady Jackets won by scores of 25–11, 25–15, 28–30, 19–25, 15–10 to improve to 19–5 overall and 11–1 in the G-MAC.
Cedarville came out strong, dominating the opening two sets behind a balanced attack led by
Haley Koch and
Madelyn Hensley. The Storm rallied to take the third set in extra points and carried momentum to a fourth-set win before the Lady Jackets regrouped to seal the match in the fifth.
Koch led the offense with 15 kills and a .519 hitting percentage, while Hensley added 15 kills and 17.0 points.
Allie Pilat contributed 16 kills, and
Kaley Matney distributed 55 assists.
Alivia Rutt anchored the back row with 40 digs, and the team totaled 97 digs and 11 team blocks in the victory.
After hitting an impressive .429 in the second set, Cedarville closed out the decisive fifth frame with a .407 mark to secure the conference road win.
Quotable: Head Coach Greg Smith
"Great to have a win on the road. We played very well in the first two sets then Lake Erie stepped up their game and did some really nice things that pressured us. We responded well in set five! I am very proud of the team's resolve and finishing the match!"
Stinger Facts:
- Cedarville improves to 11–1 in G-MAC play, extending its league win streak.
- The Lady Jackets posted a .234 team hitting percentage with 70 total kills.
- Matney's 55 assists matched her second-highest total of the season.
- Rutt's 40 digs are among the top single-match totals this year for Cedarville.
The Lady Jackets are now
19–5 overall and head to Pepper Pike, OH to face Ursluine on Saturday.
