AURORA, ILL - Junior Danielle McQuade had 28 kills as the Tiffin University volleyball team (6-12) split Saturday at the GLIAC/GLVC Crossover. TU lost 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-21) to Kentucky Wesleyan (8-14) and rebounded to beat Maryville (3-18) 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-18).
In the opening set against Kentucky Wesleyan, Tiffin took the early lead. Freshman Sabine Stadler blocked a Panther spike. That gave the Dragons a 2-1 lead. KWC then scored eight straight points to effectively end the set.
In the second set, Kentucky Wesleyan raced out to an early 6-1 lead. TU kept fighting and posted a 9-6 run. McQuade ripped the ball down the line to make it 12-10.
The Panthers went to a 17-12 lead and things looked bad for Tiffin. Another mini-run by the Dragons knotted the set at 18-18. TU forced two errors to take the lead at 20-18.
Things went back-and-forth for awhile. Stadler put one away to tie the set at 22-22. KWC then scored three straight points to take the set.
In the third set, the squads battled on even terms early. Junior Brooke Friesen unleashed a bomb to close the gap to 7-6. Kentucky Wesleyan then went on a 9-1 run to seal the deal.
McQuade had 16 kills and 16 digs while senior Maureen Kurtz added 13 kills. Junior Jordan Jenkins had 12 digs, her eighth straight double-digit dig match, 11th of the season.
For Kentucky Wesleyan, Ashley Smith had 12 kills and Morgan Watson had 11 digs.
In the opening set against Maryville, the two squads were engaged in a tight one for much of the set. The Saints came up with a block to trail, 17-15. Tiffin then closed the set with an 8-3 burst.
In the second set, it was another tight battle. Hana Michael found the corner to pull to one, 7-6. McQuade got a kill, then served up five straight points to effectively put the set away.
The third set was more of the same. MU got a kill to pull within two points, 12-10. The Dragons then fired off a 5-1 run to effectively end the match.
McQuade had 12 kills and hit .550. Senior Maggie Betz had three blocks and Jenkins had 11 digs for her ninth straight double-digit dig match, 12th of the season.
For Maryville, Mikaela Lahm had 10 kills while Jamie Kloss had 12 digs.
Tiffin remains on the road, Tuesday, Oct. 16, taking on Ursuline. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.
-TIFFIN UNIVERSITY-
