Rolander Shines in Loss to No. 4 Ohio Northern
ADA, Ohio – Defiance went on the road Tuesday night to face its toughest challenge so far during the 2009 season in the form of the fourth-rated Ohio Northern Polar Bears. The Jackets fell in three sets to ONU after pushing the Bears in each of the final two sets.
ADA, Ohio – Defiance went on the road Tuesday night to face its toughest challenge so far during the 2009 season in the form of the fourth-rated Ohio Northern Polar Bears. The Jackets fell in three sets to ONU after pushing the Bears in each of the final two sets.
Ohio Northern capitalized on a slow start from DC by racing to a 6-0 lead in the opening set. The home team did not slow down from there and rolled to the 25-9 victory in set one.
The Purple and Gold bounced back in the second set and took a 12-11 edge on a service ace from Danyel Lipps. The Polar Bears answered with five-straight points to grab a 16-12 lead and steadily extended the margin until securing the 25-17 win and two-set lead.
The third and final set was the most competitive of the evening, with three-straight Yellow Jacket kills from Bria Gendron, Marlea Rolander and Sara Porter drawing Defiance even at 22-22. Another kill from Gendron knotted the score once again at 23-23 but ONU's Renee Berry ended the match with back-to-back kills to finish the sweep with a 25-23 win in game three.
Rolander was DC's hot hand all night long and ended with a team-best 10 kills in 21 swings. The Napoleon High product had just one hitting error and ended with a sparkling .429 attack percentage to go along with one ace and one block.
Lipps, Gendron and Porter each chipped in six kills and Heather Bradshaw helped solidify the defensive effort with 10 digs.
Defiance falls to 2-3 with the defeat and will look to get back on track this weekend when it hosts the 10th-Annual DC Invitational on September 11 and 12.
DC will take its home court for the first time in 2009 when it takes on Siena Heights on Friday beginning at 3:00 pm. That match will be followed by a clash with Huntington at 7:00 pm. The action will continue for Defiance on Saturday, as it plays Concordia at 10:00 am and Marygrove at 2:00 pm.