Greenville University

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Greenville University women's volleyball team opened the 2026 season on Friday evening, rallying from a first-set loss to defeat Anderson University 3-1 before coming up just short against Loras College in a five set match.

After dropping the opening set to Anderson, the Panthers responded with poise and determination, edging Anderson in a tightly contested second set before taking control of the match with dominant performances in the third and fourth frames.

Offensively, Greenville was led by Abby Grohmann, who recorded a match-high 23 kills while adding 12 digs for a double-double. Sierrah Downey delivered an efficient performance with 12 kills on a .455 hitting percentage, while Makenna Reckling added eight kills and hit .417. Alyssa Company chipped in six kills and contributed on the defensive end with three blocks.

The Panthers' attack grew stronger as the match progressed, hitting just .106 in the first set before improving to .382 in the third and .400 in the fourth.

Greenville finished the match with 60 kills and a .238 team hitting percentage, compared to Anderson's .173 mark.

Setter Emma Ratermann orchestrated the offense with 49 assists, while also contributing eight digs and two service aces. 

Defensively, Claudia Bonacorsi paced the Panthers with 17 digs, and Emily Ruppert added nine digs.

Greenville totaled 58 digs and seven team blocks in the victory.

After narrowly claiming the second set 25-23 to even the match, Greenville seized momentum in the third, using a balanced offensive attack and strong defense to cruise to a 25-14 win. The Panthers carried that momentum into the fourth set, pulling away late for a 25-18 victory to secure the season-opening win.

The Panthers opened the second match with a strong first-set performance, hitting .423 while taking a 25-20 victory. After Loras responded with wins in the second and third sets, Greenville rallied in the fourth behind an efficient offensive attack to force a decisive fifth set.

The final frame was tightly contested, but Loras used a late surge to secure the 15-12 win and escape with the match victory.

Greenville's offense was balanced throughout the evening, posting a team hitting percentage of .286 and totaling 59 kills.

Abby Grohmann led the Panthers with 16 kills while hitting .333 and adding 10 digs.

Sierrah Downey was highly efficient, recording 10 kills on a .526 hitting percentage, while Makenna Reckling added 10 kills and three block assists.

Alyssa Company also contributed 10 kills and a team-high five block assists.

Setter Emma Ratermann directed the offense with 41 assists, while also adding five kills, eight digs, and three block assists. 

Defensively, Claudia Bonacorsi anchored the back row with a match-high 16 digs, and Grohmann completed a double-double with 10 digs.

Greenville finished with 59 digs and 16 team blocks.

The Panthers showed resilience throughout the match, rebounding after consecutive set losses to dominate the fourth set 25-18 and extend the contest. Greenville hit .359 in the fourth set and .450 in the fifth, but Loras answered with a .524 hitting percentage in the deciding frame to narrowly claim the victory.

Greenville closed the opening day of competition with a 1-1 record and will conclude the tournament against Mt. St. Joseph on Saturday.