Purple and gold drop four-settter to Indiana Tech

DEFIANCE, Ohio – A midweek conference matchup for the Defiance Yellow Jackets ended with a 3-1 loss to the Indiana Tech Warriors at the Karl H. Weaner Center on Wednesday.

Hosting the second-place team in the WHAC, the Yellow Jackets (8-16, 2-7 WHAC) kept things tight in the first set until the Warriors (16-8, 8-1 WHAC) took control with a 13-3 run. Defiance had a late surge in the first, but ultimately ceded the first set 25-18. 

In the second set, Defiance once again built an early lead as they went on two separate four-point runs building up a 13-7 lead.  The Warriors clawed back with a 9-2 run of their own evening it up at 19-19. After trading points back and forth in the late stages of the set, Defiance went on a three-point burst to lead 24-21, which was just a large enough cushion to take the second set 25-23.

THE TURNING POINT 
The Warriors took control early into the third set as they rattled off an 11-2 run, with Noelle VanOort converting three kills and Taylor Sorg adding two in this stretch. This put the Warrior ahead 14-5 and carried that momentum through the rest of the set in dominant fashion, 25-14. 

Each team had lengthy runs early in the fourth, but Indiana Tech took the wind out of Defiance's sails with a 9-1 skid to take a 16-10 lead and eventually the match with a 25-19 set four final. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Abby Altizer met the Warriors at the net as she had one solo block and three block assists for the Yellow Jackets. 
• Jamia Murray led the Jackets offensively in kills with 14 and aces with four, accounting for half of Defiance's aces. 
• Chaney Brodbeck continues to perform as she was second on the team in kills and aces with eight and two respectively.
• Shelby Clements dug out a team-best 19 Warrior attacks.
• Indiana Tech's reigning All-American and WHAC Player of the Year Noelle VanOort had a match-high 18 kills and 19 digs.
• In the Warriors' widest victory of the night, Indiana Tech hit an impressive .452 with 16 kills and just two errors during the third set to gain control of the match.
• Defiance hit below .100 in all four sets but started with 10 kills in each of the first two sets. 

UP NEXT 
The Yellow Jackets travel to Siena Heights on Saturday for another conference game, which will begin at 2:00 p.m. at Siena Heights Fieldhouse.

Written by Logan Kunkel

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