Volleyball Soars to 2-0 Saturday

DELAWARE, Ohio -  Deja vu strikes again as the Defiance College volleyball team sweeps their Saturday opponents in tournament action. The Yellow Jackets defeated Wilmington 3-1 (25-17, 25-23, 23-25, 25-12) at the Bishop Invitational before defeating the hosts Ohio Wesleyan 3-1 (28-30, 25-18, 25-17, 25-23). 

Despite each match taking four sets, the Yellow Jackets continued their trend of leaving tournaments on a high note of defeating all of their final-day opponents. Match one of the day saw DC take a 2-0 lead before falling in a close 25-23 third set. Coach Brie Brenner's side responded quickly, jumping out to a 10-4 lead before finishing off the Quakers 25-12 in the fourth set. 

In the second match of the day, Defiance fell behind early after a back-and-forth first set saw Ohio Wesleyan take the lead with a 30-28 score. The Purple and Gold did not hesitate to rally, winning the next two sets by seven and eight points respectively. A tight 25-23 fourth and final set secured the victory for the Yellow Jackets. 

Morgan Porter (Defiance / Defiance) continued her string of top performances as she was named to the All-Tournament Team. Porter recorded 67 digs and 5.58 digs/set over the course of the weekend. The junior also tallied nine assists and three aces over her twelve sets played. 

Offensively, Mackenzie Benham (Marshall, Mich. / Marshall) tallied 29 kills on Saturday including 18 in the weekend-ending contest. Also reaching double-digits over the day were Delaney Monnin (Defiance / Tinora) with 26, Jessi Davis (Delta / Delta) with 20 and Emma Seitz (Toledo / Central Catholic) with 15. 

Abigail Cronnin (Lambertville, Mich. / Cardinal Stritch Catholic) led the way from the service line, recording ten aces to go with her 23 digs. Brianna Wheeler (Sturgis, Mich. / Sturgis) dished out a team-high 56 assists on the day.