Jackets win eighth in a row at UM-Dearborn, take over first place in WHAC

DEARBORN, Mich. – The Defiance College women's volleyball team notched the team's eighth straight victory with a 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 24-26, 25-12) decision over the Michigan-Dearborn Wolverines at the UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse on Wednesday. 

The Yellow Jackets (11-5, 4-0 WHAC) matched last season's win total just 16 matches into the season and remain undefeated in conference play. Paired with a five-set loss by Lawrence Tech, Defiance now stands in sole possession of first place in the WHAC standings.

Defiance jumped out to a 2-0 lead after outlasting the Wolverines in a pair of competitive sets. DC led by as many as seven in the first set before earning a three-point win to start the night behind six kills by Chaney Brodbeck. The Jackets created a little more separation early in the second set, leading as large as 19-9. However, the Wolverines closed the set strongly despite a 25-19 DC win and carried that into a gritty win in the third set. Defiance had a 19-16 lead in Set 3 before a strong close forced a fourth set. The Yellow Jackets responded with a dominant fourth set to clinch the win, which featured a 17-5 start. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• DC's eight-game winning streak is the longest for the program since the 2014 conference-championship season.
• Defiance's last 4-0 start to conference play was also in 2014.
• Additionally, the 11-5 start is the team's best since starting 11-4 in 2013.
• Chaney Brodbeck and Gabby Rodriguez topped the stat sheet with 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Rodriguez committed just five attack errors on 23 total tries for a team-high .304 percentage.
• Shelby Clements and Brodbeck each recorded 13 digs apiece. 
• Amina Chamoun led the team in passing for the first time this season with a season-best 25 assists.
• At the net, Taylor Craft and Rodriguez posed an issue for the Wolverines. Craft had a team-best eight blocks for the second time this year while Rodriguez had six. As a team, Defiance recorded 13 total blocks on the night.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets return home for just the second home match of the season as Lawrence Tech comes to the Karl H. Weaner Center for a 7 p.m. start.

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