Volleyball Defeated by Heidelberg

TIFFIN, OHIO  --  The Defiance College volleyball team played a competitive match against Heidelberg University, but the Student Princes outlasted the Yellow Jackets, 3-1, in non-conference action in Tiffin.

Sophomore Meredith Shank (Maumee/Springfield) led the Defiance (1-8) offense with 16 kills.  Freshman Marissa Windau (Castalia/Margaretta) rounded out the double-digit kill totals with 13.  Junior Ari Mahaffey (Porter, Ind./Chesterton) set up the offense with 39 assists and was also one of three players to tally 10 or more digs defensively with 13.  Senior Rebecca Kain (Orland, Ind./Prairie Heights) had a match-high 29 digs and junior Makayla Dennis (Bryan) added 20 digs.  At the net, Windau had a combined three blocks (one solo and two assists) to lead the team.

The two teams played a back-and-forth first set with DC trailing by as many as four points before rallying with a 7-3 run to even the set at 13-13.  Heidelberg (8-1) then looked to take control of the set with a five-point lead, 20-15, before the Jackets rallied again with a 7-2 run that included a pair of kills by junior Hope Neargarder (Union City/Mississinawa Valley).  DC would take the lead once more late in the set, but could not hold on as the Student Princes came back to win by the final of 28-26.

In set two, the back-and-forth pace continued early as the two teams battled to a 11-11 tie following an attack error by Heidelberg.  This time, it would be the Student Princes who'd go on a sizeable run shortly after outscoring DC, 8-1, to jump out to a commanding 19-13 advantage.  Then DC held Heidelberg to just two more points the rest of the way and came back to post the 25-21 come-from-behind win and even the match at a set apiece.

Defiance jumped out to a large lead of 14-9 early in the third set and led for the majority of the frame led by Windau and Shank who ended up with four kills each.  The Yellow Jackets maintained a slim 22-20 margin, but Heidelberg put the set away with a 5-1 rally for a final score of 25-23 and move ahead 2-1 in the overall match.

Needing just one more set victory to claim the match, Heidelberg came out on an 8-1 run and remained in control throughout.  DC trailed by as many as 10 points and could not recover from the earlier deficit as the Student Princes cruised to the 25-17 set win and the 3-1 overall match victory.

Defiance will return to action this weekend beginning on Friday (Sept. 18) at the Ohio Wesleyan University Invitational in Delaware, Ohio.  The Yellow Jackets will play against host school OWU in their first match on Friday which is set to begin at 2 p.m.  DC will then play John Carroll University in the final match of the day with a start time of 6 p.m.