October 8

DC Volleyball 2-0 in HCAC play
Nick Williams, Assistant SID

--DEFIANCE, Ohio.—The Defiance College Volleyball squad pulled out a close win against the Hanover College Panthers on Saturday morning with a 3-2 win by the score 30-26, 27-30, 30-23, 21-30, 15-5.

The Jackets were down 21-23 in the first set before Defiance rallied back to 27-24. Danielle Rego put the game away with a service ace. The second game was closely contested, as DC stayed within two points for most of the match. The Jackets came as close as 26-28 but eventually lost by three.

Game Three saw a much more dominant Yellow Jacket squad, as DC jumped out to a 9-4 lead. Though Hanover tied it at 9, the Jackets went on a 16-11 run an eventually closed out the match with a kill by Nichole Billups. In game four, the Panthers played more aggressively than in the previous game, as Hanover took a 9-5 lead from the outset. DC came within two at on a 17-14 run to take a seven-point lead. DC eventually lost the match as the team couldn't pull within six.

In the fifth and deciding game, the Yellow Jackets dominated as the team scored the first four points of the match and eventually led 6-1. The Panthers tried to stop the bleeding with a timeout with DC up 12-4, yet they could not stop Defiance's momentum as Shannon O'Dell closed the match with a kill that ended the game 15-5.

Rego led the Jackets in kills with a season-high 26 kills. Julie Steineman also added 15 kills while hitting .462 for the match. Jill Evans set a new season-high in assists with 51, her first 50+ assist effort of the year. Four players reached double digits in digs, including Corrie Farley, who saved 25 balls.

Defiance College now has an overall record of 12-8 and a 2-0 conference record. The Jackets continue conference play as they take on Franklin College on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.