Yellow Jacket Attack Not Enough Against No. 21 Heidelberg

DEFIANCE, Ohio – After passing its toughest test of the season on Sunday with a four-set win over undefeated Millikin and a win over Centre, the Yellow Jackets' volleyball team faced its biggest challenge of the season Tuesday evening when it hosted 21st ranked Heidelberg. DC played a competitive match, but was unable to pull the upset, as Heidelberg won in three sets.

In the opening frame, the Student Princes jumped out to an early five-point lead at 14-9. The Purple and Gold closed the gap to two with a 6-3 run to make the score 17-15 before Heidelberg closed out set number one by a score of 25-21.

The Yellow Jackets found themselves trailing once again in set two, as Heidelberg quickly opened up a 21-11 lead. DC did not cave into the pressure and rebounded with six straight points of its own. The rally was sparked by the serving of junior Christa Seidenstricker and the junior attacking tandem of Chelsea Ludeman and Alexis Pierce. Heidelberg abruptly ended the threat, winning four of the final five points to grab the second set 25-18.

Despite being under constant pressure from the Student Princes' attack, Defiance stood its ground and did not back down in the third set. After falling behind early for the third straight frame, the Jackets fought their way back into the set and led in the third with the score at 22-21. The experienced Heidelberg squad was unfazed and escaped the third set with a 25-23 win.

Leading the Jacket attack were Ludeman and Pierce, each posting double-digit kill totals. Ludeman led Defiance with 11 kills and Pierce added 10 of her own. Both junior attackers were efficient on the evening, posting attacking percentages over .330. Sophomore setter Alicia Kalik led DC in assists with 24 and teamed up with senior libero Lindsay McDaniel to anchor the defense. Both Kalik and McDaniel accumulated 12 digs.

The loss drops the Purple and Gold's record to 6-3. The Jackets are back in action on Friday, September 14 at the Marietta Invitational. Defiance will face Adrian at 4:30 p.m. and Hiram at 6:15 p.m.