LEXINGTON, Ky. — Transylvania University volleyball battled Earlham College in a five-set HCAC matchup Saturday afternoon at the Clive M. Beck Center, falling 3-2 after taking the opening two sets. The Quakers rallied to win 13-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-21, 15-9, moving the Pioneers to 7-11 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
Transylvania came out strong in the opening set, delivering its most efficient offensive performance of the afternoon. The Pioneers recorded 15 kills with just three attack errors on 24 attempts, hitting .500 on their way to a commanding 25-13 victory.
The Pioneers continued their momentum in the second set, recording 14 kills while holding Earlham to a .118 hitting percentage. Transylvania secured a 25-17 victory to take a 2-0 advantage in the match. Earlham responded in the third set, which featured 12 ties and six lead changes. The Quakers hit .306 and recorded 18 kills to edge Transylvania 25-21 and extend the match. Earlham followed with another 25-21 victory in the fourth to force a decisive fifth set.
In the final set, Earlham recorded nine kills while hitting .350, pulling away for a 15-9 victory to complete the comeback.
Addie Atcher led the Pioneer attack with a match-high 19 kills on 45 attempts. Payton Avilez followed with 11 kills while hitting .258, while Allison O'Shea contributed nine kills and Peyton Mast added eight. Chloe Jensen turned in an efficient performance at the net, recording six kills without an attack error on 10 attempts to hit .600. Jensen also contributed one solo block and three block assists, while Mast added a solo block and two block assists.
Addison Davis directed the Transylvania offense with 25 assists and seven digs, while Megan Sweeney added 21 assists and six digs. Megan Helander led the defensive effort with 19 digs and seven assists, while Soleil Sabin contributed 13 digs and Reece Houston added nine digs and two service aces.
Transylvania finished with 60 kills, 58 assists, five service aces and 64 digs while hitting .242 as a team. The Pioneers recorded more kills than Earlham, which finished with 58, but the Quakers hit .212 and recorded seven service aces. The match featured 18 ties and seven lead changes.
Transylvania University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the HCAC. To keep up to date with all of Transylvania Athletics, check out our website at transysports.com and follow @TransySports on Instagram.
