In a match the Dragons had to have to keep their G-MAC tournament hopes alive, the Tiffin University volleyball team (12-13, 6-8 G-MAC) earned a key 3-0 sweep against Thomas More (25-21, 25-6, 25-21) on Friday night.
The two teams traded mini runs to begin the match. With the Saints leading 9-6, the Dragons got kills from Wakaya Wilson and Taylor Peterson to take a 10-9 lead, and TU would lead for the remainder of the set. A solo block by Kenedi Goon gave the Dragons some breathing room at 16-12, but the Saints rallied to tie it at 21. That's when TU turned it up offensively and defensively as Olivia Karhoff recorded back-to-back service aces, Katelyn Owens recorded a kill, and Wilson ended the set with a solo block.
TU had gained momentum and carried into the second set as the Dragons dominated 25-6. With the set tied at one, the Dragons won eight straight and 12 of 13 points overall to jump out to a 13-2 lead. The majority of points came from TMU attack errors. Kills by Wilson, Owens, and Peterson fueled another rally late in the set and a kill by Kaylee Freund ended set number two.
The two teams traded runs to begin the third set and TU held an 8-5 advantage, but a six-point rally by the Saints put them ahead 11-8. The Saints maintained their lead but the Dragons rallied back to take an 18-15 lead following kills by Goon and Karhoff and a service ace by Ashlyn Jones. TMU fought back and cut the Dragons' lead to 22-21, but TU won the final three points of the match and Wilson clinched the victory with a kill.
Goon led the way offensively with 10 kills and Addison Conti provided 13 assists. Defensively, both Karhoff and Diana Heitkamp recorded 10 digs.
The Dragons finished the match with a .206 hitting percentage while Thomas More ended the match with a negative hitting percentage of -.037.
The Dragons finish the regular season tomorrow on the road against Kentucky Wesleyan. First serve is set for 12 p.m. eastern time.