DC Volleyball falls on Senior Night
Nick Williams, Assistant SID

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College Volleyball team could not put away Manchester College, as the Spartans came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Yellow Jackets 23-30, 24-30, 37-35, 30-25, 15-13.

Both teams played very well in the first game, as the teams split the first nine points with Manchester taking a 5-4 edge. For the rest of the game, the two teams scored points back and forth, eventually tying at 15. DC would then go on a 6-2 run to take a 21-17 lead. Defiance would keep the momentum, eventually taking the game 30-23 on a kill by Lauren Aldridge.

The second game began much like the first, with both teams scrapping for points, eventually tying at seven. At one point DC trailed 13-9, but four consecutive Spartan attack errors knotted the game at 13. The Yellow Jackets would go on an 8-5 run for a three-point lead. Manchester made things interesting, bringing the game to 23-25, yet DC would take three of the next four points on kills by Shannon O’Dell and Aldridge, and a Spartan attack error.

Things got hectic in the third game, as DC and Manchester played to a 10-10 stalemate, at which point the Spartans would make a run to take a 14-11 lead. However, the two teams would step their games up and go at it even harder, as the game saw ties at 15, 16, 22, 24, and 26. Manchester would score three of the next four points for a 29-27 advantage. DC would come back with a service ace by Danielle Rego and an emphatic kill by Aldridge in the face of a Spartan to knot the game at 29. Both teams refused to budge at this point, as both teams traded points over the next 13 volleys. Unfortunately for DC, Manchester would score the 36th and 37th points for the win.

With momentum in favor of the Spartans, Manchester came out with an offensive attack that saw them take a 14-10 lead. Although DC would make it 20-17, Manchester would then score two straight to stretch the lead. Another DC rally brought the Jackets within one, and eventually tying the game at 24. However, Manchester put away six of the last seven points scored for the 30-25 win.

The final game began with DC falling in a 1-5 hole before rallying for a 7-7 tie. The game was tied again at nine before three straight Spartan points put the Jackets in a 9-12 deficit. Trailing 10-12, DC saw two plays that could have gone either way, resulting in two Manchester points. Manchester sealed the comeback with the score 15-13.

Aldridge led DC with 18 kills while seniors Rego and Corrie Farley each had 16 and 13, respectively. Diane Bruns dug out 43 balls, while fellow senior Libby Creps had six digs and four blocks in the match.

Defiance College (8-17, 2-4 HCAC) will have the rest of the week off, as the Jackets do not play until next Saturday, October 28 when they hit the road to take on Depauw College. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.