Jackets Lose Close Match Against Rose-Hulman (Ind.)

TERRE HAUTE, IND.  --  Sophomore Meredith Shank (Maumee/Springfield) had a match-high 14 kills in a 3-1 loss against Rose-Hulman (Ind.) Institute of the Technology in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference match in Terre Haute, Ind.

Shank was one of three Yellow Jacket players to finish with 10 or more kills.  Junior Hope Neargarder (Union City/Mississnawa Valley) was second with 13 kills and freshman Marissa Windau (Castalia/Margaretta) was third with 12 kills.  Juinor Ari Mahaffey (Porter, Ind./Chesterton) set up the offense with 38 out of 42 team assists and also had a service ace.  

On defense, senior Rebecca Kain (Orland, Ind./Prairie Heights) tallied a match and career-high 35 digs.  Mahaffey was second with 20 digs, followed by junior Makayla Dennis (Bryan) with 14 digs.  Junior Dia Jackson (Detroit, Mich./Canton) had 13 digs and Windau rounded out the double-figure dig totals with 12.

Windau was tied for the team-lead in blocking with two blocks (two assists) and fellow freshman Caitlyn Meyers (West Alexandria/Twin Valley South) also added two blocks (two solo).

Defiance (9-17, 4-3 HCAC) began the first set with three straight points on attack errors by Rose-Hulman (13-16, 2-5 HCAC).  The Yellow Jackets went on to lead by as many as seven points, 14-7, with a series of scoring runs which included a pair of kills by both Shank and Windau.  Following a timeout by the Fightin' Engineers, RHIT then began to rally and came back to even the score at 19-19.  RHIT eventually took the lead and claim the set with four straight points and a final score of 25-21.

In the second set, DC led again early on, including a 10-8 advantage following a kill by Neargarder.  RHIT against rallied outscoring DC, 11-4, to take a 19-14 advantage.  The Jackets pulled to within two points, 23-21, late in the set thanks to a kill by Windau, but the Engineers recorded the final points they needed to post a 25-22 win and move ahead 2-0 in the match.

Trailing 2-0, Defiance took control of the third set early on building to a 10-4 margin that included two kills by Windau during the run.  The Engineers would get to within three points on several ocassions, but that was as close as they'd get as DC ened the set with eight straight points with two points by Neargarder and Windau and a point by freshman Brooke Plummer (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) to win by the final of 25-14 and continue the match.

The two teams battled back-and-forth early in the fourth set.  RHIT looked to pull away and led by as many as six points, 14-8.  The Yellow Jackets chipped away at the Engineer lead and got to within two points late following back-to-back RHIT attack errors.  But the rally ended there as the Engineers held of the Jackets long enough to come away with the 25-22 set victory and the overall match by the final of 3-1.

Defiance will travel to Richmond, Ind. for a HCAC match against Earlham (Ind.) College on Wednesday, Oct. 28.  The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.