BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Greenville University women's volleyball team showed resilience and determination Saturday afternoon, battling back to earn a thrilling 3-2 victory over Wittenberg University at the Shirk Center. They later faced one of the region's hottest teams, taking a set from Illinois Wesleyan before ultimately falling 3-1 (25-20, 25-11, 24-26, 25-18).
After dropping the opening set 25-22 against Wittenberg, Greenville responded by edging the Tigers 26-24 in a tightly contested second frame. Wittenberg reclaimed the momentum with a 25-22 third-set victory, but the Panthers answered once again, controlling the fourth set 25-17 to force a decisive fifth set.
In the winner-take-all fifth, Greenville held its composure and secured the match with a 15-13 victory, completing the comeback.
The Panthers were led offensively by
Abby Grohmann, who recorded a match-high 18 kills while adding seven digs.
Sierrah Downey and
Kennedy Legendre each contributed 13 kills, with Legendre hitting an efficient .308.
Makenna Reckling added 10 kills, while
Alyssa Company chipped in eight kills and two block assists.
Setter
Emma Ratermann directed the offense with 44 assists and 12 digs, helping Greenville post 58 kills as a team. Defensively, libero
Claudia Bonacorsi anchored the back row with a match-high 22 digs, while
Emily Ruppert added 10 digs. The Panthers also received strong serving performances from Bonacorsi and
Brooke-Lynn Mapa, who each recorded three service aces.
Wittenberg was paced by Kait Colahan's 18 kills and Lauren Sanders' 13 kills, but Greenville's balanced attack and timely defensive plays proved to be the difference in the marathon match.
The victory capped a dramatic match in which the Panthers overcame 51 tie scores and 24 lead changes.
The Panthers showed resilience in their second match of the day against Illinois Wesleyan, especially in a thrilling third set that extended the contest.
After dropping the opening two sets, Greenville responded with its strongest offensive effort of the match, hitting .317 in the third frame and fending off match point to secure a 26-24 victory.
Kennedy Legendre led the Panthers offensively with nine kills, two service aces, and 11.5 total points.
Abby Grohmann added eight kills and 11 digs, while
Makenna Reckling was highly efficient at the net, recording six kills on 11 attacks with a team-best .545 hitting percentage.
Brooklynn Slusser provided a spark off the bench with six kills and a .333 attack percentage.
Greenville's defense kept the Panthers competitive throughout the afternoon.
Claudia Bonacorsi paced the back row with 13 digs, while Grohmann and
Emily Ruppert each contributed 11 digs. At the net, Reckling collected four block assists and
Alyssa Company added two total blocks.
Setter
Emma Ratermann directed the offense with 24 assists while also adding six digs and a service ace.
Illinois Wesleyan was led by Eleanor Palmer's 15 kills and a .522 hitting percentage. The Titans finished the match hitting .287 as a team and totaled 63 kills.
The Panthers (6-5) will now turn their attention toward a home matchup with Illinois College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
