Box Score

The Malone University volleyball team fought back from an early deficit to record a thrilling, five-set victory at Tiffin University on Thursday evening.  The first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest of the season for both teams was an evenly matched affair decided by final scores of 25-17, 13-25, 23-25, 31-29, and 15-10.

Tiffin (4-3 overall, 0-1 GLIAC) found itself just one point away from notching its fifth straight victory after grabbing a 24-22 lead late in the fourth set.  However, Malone (4-2 overall, 1-0 GLIAC) managed to rally back, tying the match at 24-24.  The two squads then traded points back and forth before Pioneer outside hitter Taylor Slauterbeck managed to put the frame away with one of her team-high 14 kills.

Malone led by as many as five points early on in the decisive fifth set before Tiffin pulled to within two at 12-10.  The Dragons would get no closer, though, as three straight kills by middle hitter Hannah Haver, middle hitter Lauren Townley and Slauterbeck cemented the win for the Pioneers in the program's first-ever GLIAC contest.

Libreo Allison Kirby had a big night for MU, scooping up a career-high 20 digs.  Slauterbeck posted nine digs to go with her team-leading 14 kills.  Townley added 13 kills followed by outside hitter Anna Hays and middle hitter Diana Wallace, who each finished the night with 11 kills apiece.  Haver also reached double-digits with 10 kills while setter Jackie Schwamberger dished out 53 assists.  Kimberly McCracken served up a match-high three aces while defensive specialist Katie Hasebein contributed 12 digs.

Danielle McQuade and Maureen Kurtz paced Tiffin with 22 and 19 kills, respectively.  Jordan Jenkins added 33 digs.

The Pioneers, winners of four straight, will be back in action on Friday with a 7:00 p.m. GLIAC match at Ohio Dominican University (4-3 overall, 0-0 GLIAC).  ODU will provide live statistics of the contest through the following link: http://livestats.prestosports.com/ohiodominican/