The Tiffin University volleyball team (1-4) opened the Grand Rapids Downtown Classic on Friday with two matches at Davenport University. The Dragons took on host Davenport in the first matchup and fell in straight sets. In the second match, the Dragons were defeated by nationally ranked Gannon in four sets.
Davenport (17-25, 20-25, 20-25)
In set one, the Dragons did not hold a lead. Trailing 7-5, TU got back-to-back kills from Maggie Pavlansky and Katelyn Owens but couldn't maintain the momentum as the Panthers won the next four and seven of eight to take a 14-8 lead. The Dragons cut the deficit to five a couple times late and couldn't cut into the deficit anymore.
The Dragons got off to a slow start in the second set, losing eight of the first 11 points. In the middle of the set, the two teams alternated six points as Davenport maintained a three-point lead. Trailing 15-12, the Panthers won five straight to extend their lead to 20-12. The Dragons made a late push as an Oliva Karhoff kill made it 24-20 but the Panthers won the next point on a kill to take the set.
Tiffin got off to a strong start in the third set, winning eight of the first 12 as an ace by Taylor Kirker gave the Dragons an 8-4 lead. The hosts had a response, and they rallied to make it 10-10. Tied at 12, the Panthers regained the lead on an attack error by Karhoff and Davenport led the rest of the way.
Karhoff led the way with seven kills and Parker Vackert recorded six. Pavlansky recorded 22 assists and Kirker led the way in digs with 13.
As a team, the Dragons hit .092 while the Panthers had a .302 hitting percentage.
Gannon (17-25, 14-25, 25-17, 16-25)
Trailing two sets to none, the Dragons put together their most impressive set of the day against 16th-ranked Gannon. The Dragons got off to a fast start and never trailed, winning seven of the first eight and overall 12 of 15. Gannon cut the lead to five late, but the Dragons were able to close out the set with a kill by Owens.
In set four, the teams traded points to start but it was Gannon who turned a 5-4 deficit into a 10-5 lead following six straight points and that was the turning point in the set. A kill by Pavlansky still kept the deficit at five but the Dragons were unable to get any closer as the nationally ranked Golden Knights closed it out.
Maddie Daniel and Olivia Karhoff recorded double digit kills with 12 and 11, respectively. Karhoff also added 11 digs and Daniel and Morgan Morley each had 10 digs. Pavlansky led the way with 33 assists.
Tiffin hit .207 in the match while Gannon recorded a hit percentage of .338.
