JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Greenville University women's volleyball team battled back from a two-set deficit Saturday morning but ultimately fell to Mount St. Joseph University in a hard-fought five-set match at Sherman Gymnasium. The Lions claimed the victory by scores of 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 22-25, and 15-8.
After dropping the first two sets, Greenville showed its resilience by winning the next two frames to even the match. The Panthers used strong defensive play and balanced offensive production to take both the third and fourth sets by identical 25-22 scores, forcing a decisive fifth set.
Greenville was led offensively by
Abby Grohmann, who recorded a team-high 13 kills and added 17 digs for a double-double.
Alyssa Company contributed 10 kills, while
Makenna Reckling added eight kills and three block assists.
Sierrah Downey and Keira Webber each finished with seven kills.
The Panthers received strong play from their setters, with
Hannah Thompson dishing out 22 assists and
Kinley Stolte adding 16 assists. Defensively,
Claudia Bonacorsi led Greenville with 18 digs, while Grohmann added 17 and
Emily Ruppert chipped in nine.
Greenville's comeback effort highlighted the middle portion of the match. After hitting just .083 and .054 in the opening two sets, the Panthers improved offensively in the third and fourth sets, including a .220 hitting percentage in the fourth-set victory.Â
The teams combined for 29 tie scores and 14 lead changes in a closely contested match.
Mount St. Joseph was paced by Mary Kolozsy's 15 kills, while Grace Crider and Aubrey Miranda each added 10 kills. The Lions totaled 56 kills and 81 digs in the victory.
Greenville moved to 1-2 overall on the season and will continue play on Tuesday night at UHSP in St. Louis in a match at 7 p.m.  Tuesday's contest was moved to UHSP due to the projected temperatures.
