Volleyball Opens Season at Calvin (Mich.) College Invitational

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.  --  The Defiance College volleyball team began the 2015 season with a pair of matches at the Calvin (Mich.) College Invitational in Grand Rapids, Mich.  The Yellow Jackets fell to host school, and preseason No. 1 nationally-ranked Calvin, 3-0, and also fell to No. 23 Pacific (Wash.) Lutheran University in five sets, 3-2.

In Defiance's (0-2) first match of the day against Calvin, the Knights looked to make a statement early winning the first set by a score of 25-8.  Calvin then captured the second set, 25-14, to take a commanding 2-0 match lead.  The Yellow Jackets fought hard in the third set taking the Knights to extra points, but Calvin would prevail, 26-24, to claim the 3-0 match victory.

Offensively for the Jackets, sophomore Meredith Shank (Maumee/Springfield) led the team in kills with seven and junior Hope Neargarder (Union City/Mississinawa Valley) was second with three kills.  Junior Ari Mahaffey (Porter, Ind./Chesterton) set up the offense and had 15 assists.  In addition, Shank scored points from behind the service line with a team-best three aces.

Senior Rebecca Kain (Orland, Ind./Prairie Heights) led the DC defense with eight digs and was followed by junior Makayla Dennis (Bryan) with seven digs.  Sophomore Jaidyn Patridge (Toledo/Springfield) rounded out the top three with six digs.

In the second match against Pacific Lutheran, it was Defiance who took advantage early winning the first two sets, 25-19 and 25-18.  But the Lutes then rallied winning back-to-back-to-back sets, including a 15-8 victory in the decisive game to post the 3-2 come-from-behind win.

Freshman Marissa Windau (Castalia/Margaretta) paced DC offensively, finishing as one of two Yellow Jackets to tally double figures in kills with a team-high 14 kills.  Shank followed closely behind with 13 kills.  Mahaffey recorded 34 of the team's 42 assists, while Dennis led the way in aces with three.  

Four players had double-digit dig totals led by Kain's 32 digs.  Dennis was second with 18 digs and Mahaffey added 12 digs.  Patridge rounded out the leaders with 11 digs.

Defiance will wrap-up the two-day Calvin Invitational tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 5) with its final pair of matches beginning with No. 2 Emory (Ga.) University at 10 a.m.  The Jackets will then play John Carroll University in their last match which is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.