Volleyball Collects Victory in Home Opener

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The large contingent of fans on hand in the Karl H. Weaner Center saw Defiance College volleyball continue their string of wins in the 2019 home opener. The Yellow Jackets flew to a 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-17) victory over the Adrian College Bulldogs. 

A close first set saw the Yellow Jackets maintain a marginal lead before a four point Adrian run had the set sitting at 23-24. Delaney Monnin (Defiance / Tinora) rose up for a the set-ending kill, giving DC the early edge. 

A lengthy run of momentum in the second set saw Head Coach Brie Brenner's side cruise to a 25-14 win which was capped off with a Jessi Davis kill (Delta / Delta). 

The Yellow Jackets were poised to finish the affair in three sets. After an initial set-opening kill from Mackenzie Benham (Marshall, Mich. / Marshall), DC never lost the lead for the remainder of the action. Just three points away from victory, Defiance did not disappoint. An Abigail Cronnin (Lambertville, Mich. / Cardinal Stritch Catholic) ace set up two straight blocks for Mackenzie Umbaugh (Plymouth, Ind. / Plymouth) to wrap up the contest. 

Monnin, coming off her All-Tournament Team performance at the Penn St.-Behrend Tournament, promptly landed 15 kills in the match. The sophomore tallied a .385 kill percentage. 

Umbaugh made an impression on the DC faithful in her first home match of her career. The freshman tallied a team best .417 kill percentage with her six winners. Aside from the match-ending two blocks, the Plymouth, Indiana native tallied one more assisted block to add to her stat sheet. 

Morgan Porter (Defiance / Defiance) added yet another 20-dig night to her ever-growing collection. The junior now has double-digit digs in every match this season, including 20-plus performances in the last seven outings. 

With the victory, the Purple and Gold now hold a 7-3 record on the young season. 

Defiance will hit the road once again this weekend as they travel to Delaware, Ohio for the Ohio Wesleyan University Tournament. DC will take on Otterbein in the opening round on September 13 at 5:00 pm.