FINDLAY, Ohio - The Dragons forced every set beyond 25 points, but the Oilers held strong as Findlay (11-12, 5-9) defeated Tiffin (11-11, 7-5) 26-24, 27-25, 26-24 Saturday afternoon.
For the match, Findlay outhit Tiffin .220-.188 but the Dragons out-blocked the Oilers 7-6. Danielle McQuade led Tiffin with 14 kills while Jessica Adams contributed 32 assists. Lindsay Heller had 12 digs.
For Findlay, Jessica VonIns had a double-double with 15 assists and 11 kills. Megan Florence added 24 assists and Erin Thomasson had 17 digs and seven kills.
The Oilers jumped out to a 13-8 lead in the first set before Tiffin tied the set at 14. During the 6-1 run, Giavanna DiPietro had a pair of kills and Maureen Kurtz and McQuade added one each. Heller added an ace and Brittany Teaford and Brooke Bernabei added the exclamation point on the run with an assisted block. Tiffin later took a 24-23 advantage on a Kurtz kill, but the Oilers repelled the set point and kills by Thomasson and VonIns gave the home team the first set.
Tiffin came out on fire in the second set and took the first five points thanks to three Findlay errors and a kill each from DiPietro and McQuade. Findlay fought back and actually took a 16-14 lead, but a Kurtz kill and a Findlay attack error tied the set at 16. Both teams split the next 12 points, but a pair of Tiffin attack errors put Findlay on set point. This time, Tiffin turned back the Findlay set point and actually had its own serve for the win thanks to a Berabei and McQuade kill, but Findlay got the last three points for the second-straight set to take a 2-0 lead.
The final frame went extras again, but Findlay again prevailed to complete the straight-set win. Tiffin took a 23-21 lead late, but two Thomasson kills and a VonIns ace put the Oilers on serve for the set point. The Dragons countered with a timeout and an attack error by UF tied the match at 24. However, a MacKenzie Vorst and Maggie Naayers spike ended the contest.
Tiffin returns to action Tuesday (Oct. 26), when it travels to Hillsdale. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
