Waukesha, Wis. – The Wheaton volleyball team traveled to Carroll University on Friday night for a key CCIW match for both teams as they look to earn a spot in the upcoming CCIW volleyball tournament. Carroll defeated the Thunder, 3-0 as the Pioneers won 25-21, 25-20, 26-24.
Senior
Jordan Benford had a team-high 12 kills for the Thunder.
Katherine Adkison and
Ashton Major each tallied nine kills, while
Paris Griffin added seven.
Thunder setter
Lacey Higgins tied with a match-high 36 assists tonight. Libero
Grace Autry had a team-high 12 digs.
Miriam Pozdol-Niego had three service aces.
The Pioneers won the first set 25-21. Wheaton jumped out to a 3-0 lead, however Carroll used a 5-1 run to take a 5-4 lead and the hosts never trailed in the remainder of the set. Major led Wheaton with four kills in the opening set and Adkison added three. Higgins distributed nine assists.
Carroll won the second set 25-20. The Pioneers and Thunder were tied at 2-2 when the hosts gained the lead with a 5-1 run that gave Carroll a 7-3 lead. The Pioneers never trailed for the remainder of the set. Benford led the Thunder with five kills in the set and Major added three. Higgins had 13 assists for the guests.
The Pioneers rallied to win the competitive third set 26-24. The set was tied seven times, with three lead changes. Carroll led 10-5 when Wheaton responded with a 6-2 advantage to trim the hosts' lead to 12-11. The Pioneers then countered with a 6-2 run as the hosts pushed their lead to 18-13. Wheaton then responded with six-consecutive points to take a 19-18 lead. Wheaton led 24-22 when the Pioneers scored the final four points of the match to win the set 26-24 as Carroll earned the 3-0 victory in the match. Benford had a team-high five kills in the third set. Adkison and Griffin each had four kills, with a .375 hitting percentage for Griffin. Higgins had 14 assists in the final set, while Benford and Adkison each had five digs.
Wheaton remains on the road next Wednesday when it travels to Elmhurst for a critical CCIW match against the Bluejays. The match on October 29 at Elmhurst begins at 7:00 p.m.
