Purple and Gold Finish .500 at Pioneer Classic Over the Weekend

MARIETTA, Ohio – The Defiance College volleyball team ended up splitting a pair of matches on days one and two at Marietta over the weekend. In the final day, the Jackets won their first matchup over Ohio Wesleyan in straight sets before losing to a powerful Trine side in four sets.

DC started off its day on the right foot, as the team stormed out of the gates to take control of the morning match against Ohio Wesleyan. The Yellow Jackets dominated set number one, winning by a score of 25-15. The Battling Bishops fought back in the second frame, but were unable to keep up with the Jacket attack, as DC won the second 25-21. The Purple and Gold easily disposed of OWU in the third and final set by outscoring the opponent 25-14.

The straight-set victory is the second of the weekend and third of the season for the young Defiance squad. DC dropped the Battling Bishops record to 8-5 after the match.

Leading the attack for Defiance was junior Chelsea Ludeman, who recorded her seventh double-digit kill performance on the season with 10. The junior also managed to lead the Jackets in blocks with five. Defiance received a strong defensive performance from freshman Rebecca Kain in the match. The freshman recorded a season and career-high in digs with 22 in the match.

The last match of the weekend was against a superb Trine team that brought an 11-2 record into the contest. Trine jumped out to a quick one set lead by claiming the first by a score of 25-15. DC showed resilience and bounced back to win the second 25-20. Trine responded by raising its game to another level and grabbed a 2-1 set lead by winning the third 25-17. The Jackets refused to go down easily and gave the Thunder all it could handle in the fourth before falling 26-24.

Juniors Alexis Pierce and Ludeman each recorded team-highs in kills with 12 apiece. Sophomore setter Alicia Kalik eclipsed the 30-assist mark for the ninth time this season with 39. The sophomore also added 10 digs and three kills in the defeat.

Pierce's fine play over the weekend earned the junior a spot on the Pioneer Classic All-Tournament Team. Pierce totaled 56 kills over the four matches, averaging out to 14 kills per match to lead the Jackets. The junior also turned in one of her best single match performances of the season with 21 kills against Hiram on Friday evening. The honor marks the second straight week Pierce has been named to an all-tourney team.

The Purple and Gold's record moves to 8-5 on the season with the split. The next match for the Yellow Jackets is on Friday, September 21 against Chatham in the first match of the Gargoyle Classic in Chicago. The first serve is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.