Box Score ALBION, Mich. – At the beginning of the day, Adrian would be one win from the final playoff spot chasing Saint Mary's and Alma. With all three teams in action Friday night, the best the Bulldogs could hope for was that the other two teams would go down in defeat with Adrian emerging victorious and equaling the win total of the teams currently in the last playoff spot.
And that is what happened.
The women's volleyball team (6-7, 13-14) won their second consecutive conference match. This time it was against Albion (0-12, 2-10), 3-1, Friday night in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play. The team dropped the second set, 17-25; but rallied to win the final two sets, 25-12 and 25-14, respectively, and the match and remain in the thick of the playoff hunt.
"Any win on the road is a good win," said head coach David Kwan. "We are a young team learning how to control our own destiny and are excited where this game puts us in the MIAA tournamnet race."
Adrian looked very business-like in the first set, never relinquishing the lead at any point on their way to a 25-20 win.
Both the second and third sets were similar in that the team that took the 1-0 lead never saw the lead again and lost.
"The unsung hero was Ashley Vernier, who came off the bench and settled down the team and executed a great offense after the second set," said Kwan.
"Of course, Jordan Brisson continues to have a dominant season and Stephanie Holloman had one of her best hitting percentages (.524) of the season tonight."
In the fourth set, the Bulldogs were down eight points (2-10), before beginning a rally that would end the set at 25-14, and secure the match.
Leading the way up front for Adrian was Brisson and Holloman with 15 and 13 kills, respectively. Vernier and Kristy DeClercq each had 18 assists, while Holloman delivered four aces. Emily Ribant and DeClercq also added four aces (two each).
Defensively, Kristi Walker led the team with 11 digs. Linnea Berriman had one block and six block assists.
The team returns home Wednesday, October 24th, for a 7 p.m. matchup against Kalamazoo.
