Jackets Rally Past Anderson in Five
ANDERSON, Ind. – Defiance College moved into second place in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference on Wednesday with a five-set win at Anderson.
ANDERSON, Ind. – Defiance College moved into second place in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference on Wednesday with a five-set win at Anderson. The Jackets now stand on the cusp of earning a spot in the HCAC Tournament and trail only MSJ in the league standings.
The Yellow Jackets and Ravens (12-14, 4-2 HCAC) battled neck and neck all night long, before DC was able to secure the fifth and final set. Defiance outlasted AU, 32-30, in a marathon opening game before winning the second by a 25-21 count.
Defiance seemed poised for the sweep after building a slight advantage midway through the third set but Anderson rallied to pull out the 25-23 victory and force a fourth set. The Ravens carried the momentum into that contest, controlling the action and taking the 25-17 win.
That set the stage for the decisive fifth set, where DC turned the tide by grabbing an early lead. The Jackets would eventually build a 14-8 edge en route to finishing off the 15-12 win.
DC got outstanding play at the net and tallied 11 total blocks as a team. Michelle Sikora led the way with seven block assists, while Sara Porter added five block assists to her 16 digs and three service aces.
The offense was powered by 22 kills from Kristen Nicely, while Danyel Lipps and Marlea Rolander also turned in double-digit performances. Lipps rounded out her double-double effort with 17 digs and Rolander netted a .346 hitting percentage.
The duo of Julie Brunsman and Kelsey Ferguson also put up big numbers from the setter position, combining to pace DC's attack with 52 assists.
Defiance moves to 3-1 in HCAC action with the win and evens its season tally at 11-11. The Jackets will travel to Ontario, Canada this weekend to compete in the Sheridan Tournament.