MIDLAND, Mich. - The Tiffin University volleyball team rallied from two sets down but was unsuccessful in completing the reverse sweep, falling in five sets (18-25, 21-25, 25-14, 25-19, 9-15) at Northwood to close the regular season on Saturday.
Tiffin finishes the regular season 7-20 overall with a 7-8 record in G-MAC play and will now set their eyes on the upcoming conference tournament, which is slated to start on Tuesday, November 10. The official tournament bracket will be announced later this evening.
The Timberwolves controlled much of the action in the first two sets, and Northwood would never trail in the second set as they jumped out to a two-set advantage.
Tiffin responded decisively in the third set, cruising to a set win after three ties and one lead change. Tiffin hit .300 with 13 kills and four errors, while holding Northwood to just four kills and nine errors for a -.156 hitting percentage.
Carrying that momentum into the fourth, Tiffin posted its best offensive frame of the match with 17 kills and only three errors on 45 swings (.311) to take a 25-19 win and force a fifth set. Tiffin closed the set with three straight kills with Parker Vackert, Amber Czerniak, and Symari Scott each recording one.
In the fifth, a combined block by Maggie Pavlansky and Katelyn Owens made it 7-7, but Northwood went on an extended run and won the next six points to take control for a 13-7 lead. Tiffin was unable to mount a late rally.
Symari Scott led Tiffin with 15 kills, while Katelyn Owens added 13 kills on a .375 hitting percentage and three block assists. Parker Vackert chipped in 10 kills, and Brookelyn Schmidt and Amber Czerniak each recorded eight kills, with Czerniak adding 15 digs. Maggie Pavlansky directed the offense with 43 assists and 14 digs, and Morgan Morley anchored the back row with a team-high 23 digs alongside nine assists and two service aces.
Both teams recorded 57 kills on 55 assists while Northwood finished with a slightly better overall hitting percentage (.190) compared to Tiffin's .184.
