Volleyball Wraps Up Season with a Victory

DEFIANCE, OHIO - The Defiance College volleyball team wrapped up the 2018 season by hosting a pair of matchups against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Rose-Hulman and Kenyon College. The Yellow Jackets dropped a tight contest to the Fightin' Engineers, 3-2 (25-21, 25-23, 19-25, 19-25, 12-15). DC earned a 3-1 (16-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-17) victory in the second match of the day as they took on the Ladies of Kenyon College. 

On a day highlighted by the celebration of 2018 DC seniors Marissa Windau (Castalia / Margaretta) and Brooke Plummer (Plain City / Jonathan Alder), the Yellow Jackets were off to an energetic start. 

Down 4-1 to the Fightin' Engineers, the Yellow Jackets swarmed back to a 9-4 lead. Defiance's offense did not stop there, scoring seven more points while just allowing the visitors to three scores, the Purple and Gold extended their lead to 16-9.

The Fightin' Engineers were able to rally a handful of attacks to bring the score to a close 23-21 Jacket lead. Defiance was set to win in thrilling fashion as Windau and Emma Seitz (Toledo / Central Catholic) got up to block an attack from Rose. Windau followed the point up with a set-winning ace.

The second set saw back and forth action for the HCAC sides. Four lead changes and numerous ties ultimately led to a 23-23 scoreline as the sides braced for a close finish. A Jessi Davis (Delta / Delta) kill followed by a block gave the Yellow Jackets the 2-0 set lead. 

The visitors looked poised to bring a stronger attack during the third set. The Fightin' Engineers jumped out to a 4-1 lead and never looked back as they took the set 25-19. 

A stretch of promising attacks from the Purple and Gold were not enough to hold on to a four set victory. A handful of Fightin' Engineer errors dotted by a Mackenzie Benham (Marshall, Mich. / Marshall) kill had the home side up 16-9 before the visitors rallied to win the set 25-19. 

The HCAC contest came down to a vital fifth set. Midway through the set, a kill from Plummer gave the Yellow Jackets a 8-5 lead. Quickly followed up by a Benham kill, the Purple and Gold looked to close out the contest. 

The Fightin' Engineers were not going down easily, rallying back to ultimately claim the decisive set 15-12. 

During the first match, Benham led the way offensively with 13 kills, while Morgan Porter (Defiance / Defiance) added 37 digs in the affair. 

After a contest between the two visiting sides, the Yellow Jackets were poised to take on Kenyon College. 

In the first set of the contest, the visiting Ladies had the Yellow Jackets on the ropes 20-15. A run of five straight points for Kenyon won the first set for the visitors. 

Head Coach Brie Brenner's side did not wait long to retaliate. After a Seitz kill, Alexis Kiessling (Defiance / Defiance) went to serve and took three straight aces to give the Yellow Jackets the 4-1 lead. As the set continued, neither side could pull away with a lead. The teams found themselves at a 22-21 Defiance lead. A kill from Cassidy Posey (Paulding / Paulding) launched a spell of three straight points to finish the set and knot the score at 1-1.

The third set saw rallies from both teams, and once again the sides found each other in a close decision for an important third set. With a 23-21 lead, Posey found another kill from a set by Jamie DeTro (Angola, Ind. / Prairie Heights). DeTro quickly followed her set up with a kill of her own to steal the set 25-21 for the Purple and Gold. 

After the changeover the teams headed to a fourth set, with Defiance seeking the victory. Early rallies found the score tied at 10-10 as both sides tried to gain momentum. A Jessi Davis kill, a Kiessling ace, and a block from Davis and Seitz was all it took for the Yellow Jackets to rally some momentum. The Purple and Gold did not lose the lead again. 

A handful of DeTro serves saw the Yellow Jackets extend their lead to 22-13 as they looked to close out the match. In fitting fashion, senior day was highlighted by a Plummer kill to win the set and the match for the Purple and Gold. 

The win wraps up the Defiance College volleyball team's 2018 season. The Yellow Jackets end with a 5-19 record, with a 2-7 conference mark.