DC Volleyball Falls to Mount in HCAC Semifinals

CINCINNATI, Ohio – The 2012 season came to a close on Saturday for the DC volleyball squad, as the Yellow Jackets fell in straight sets to the top-seeded Mount St. Joseph Lions in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals.

Defiance clinched its eighth trip into the HCAC Final Four in 13 years since joining the league but could not punch the ticket to its fourth conference championship match, as the Jackets fell to 0-4 all-time against MSJ in the conference tournament.

DC struggled all afternoon to get its offense on track, hitting .020 as a team and misfiring for 21 hitting errors in 99 swings. Chelsea Ludeman and Alexis Pierce led the attack with eight and seven kills respectively, as the Jackets ended with only 23 kills in the contest.

The Purple and Gold performed better on the defensive side by collecting 10 blocks against the MSJ attack. Ludeman led the way with four, while Pierce had three and Christa Seidenstricker ended with two. Lindsay McDaniel led the team with nine digs, while Alicia Kalik ended with eight digs and 20 assists.

Despite the 25-17, 26-24, 25-17 sweep by the Mount, the entire match was hotly contested by the Yellow Jackets, with all three sets being decided in the final points. MSJ closed strong in all three however, scoring seven of the last eight points in the opener to break open an 18-16 set and scoring the final three points to hold off DC in a thrilling second set. It was more of the same in the finale, with MSJ sealing the victory with eight of the last 10 points, after Defiance had battled to within 17-15.

The sudden end of the season did not diminish the accomplishments of the young squad that was picked to finish sixth in the league during the preseason. Defiance surpassed those expectations by ending fourth in the regular season and advancing into the HCAC Semifinals, while establishing itself as one of the league's top contenders.

DC's 18-13 overall record marked the highest win total for the program since winning 22 in 2009, while its six HCAC victories were the most for the Yellow Jackets since matching that total in 2008.

The Jackets will look to build on the promising 2012 campaign, as all but one player from the roster are expected back in 2013 when Defiance will look to make a strong push at the first-ever HCAC Championship in program history.

The one expected departure from the 2012 squad will be senior Lindsay McDaniel, who ended her fourth and finest season with the Purple and Gold on Saturday. McDaniel played a major part in the team's success during the season by leading the Jackets with 40 service aces and 491 digs.