RICHMOND, Ind. – The Earlham College volleyball team came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Anderson University in five sets on Senior Day in Druley Performance Gym.
Caylee Brandes led the offense with 18 kills and a .293 attack percentage, and four blocks. Anniyah Harrington scored 15 kills and swung .273.
Skyler Murray hit 12 kills on her senior day, with two blocks and a .200 percentage.
Liv Kyrk attacked at a .348 clip with nine kills and six blocks.
Ava Walters dished out a team-high 33 assists, and collected 13 digs.
Sydney Bleyle recorded 21 assists and 11 digs.
Madison Bizjak led the back line with 27 digs and one ace.
As a team, the Quakers hit a .241 attack percentage and scored 11 blocks with two aces.
Competing in their final season in Druley Performance Gym, Kyrk, Murray,
Lauren Newcomer,
Meg Kobman and
Katie Conner were recognized prior to the first serve.
Earlham attacked at a .300 clip in set one with 14 kills and two errors, but the Ravens scored 19 kills to win the set 25-19. Earlham had 10 kills in set two, but Anderson was again efficient offensively with 17 kills in a 25-16 win.
The tide turned in set three, when the Quakers had 17 kills, and held the Ravens to 15. The Earlham defense held Anderson below .210 offensively, and contributed to an 8-1 run to give EC a 20-14 lead. Anderson countered with an 8-3 run before Brandes ended the frame with a kill from Walters.
After the first set win, the Quakers held Anderson under .100 through the final two sets. Earlham scored four straight to lead 18-10, and win the set 25-17. Earlham jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the decider, and led until a late surge by the Ravens brought the score to 13-13. Undeterred, the home squad buttoned down and scored the last two points to win.
The Quakers will host a first-round tournament match on Wednesday evening in Druley Performance Gym against Hanover College. Earlham won the first matchup with the Panthers 3-1 in Druley in October. First serve is scheduled for 7 pm.
