ADRIAN, Mich. – Adrian women's volleyball was home for the first time in the 2026 campaign Tuesday night as they battled Kalamazoo in an MIAA matchup.
Kalamazoo came out of the gates swinging. Aided by three straight Adrian attack errors, the Hornets took a 14-9 lead. A Virginia Rowan kill helped the Bulldogs cut into the deficit, still trailing 22-20. Kalamazoo was able to hold off Adrian to take a victory in the first set, 25-22.
The Bulldogs played with a fire in the second set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead courtesy of two Kaiya Denny service aces. Six errors by the Hornets helped the Bulldogs put together an 8-2 run, building a seven-point advantage. Kalamazoo didn't go away easily and trailed by one point, 19-18. Two kills from Rowan extended the Adrian lead before Lauren Boehmer added a pair of kills to seal the second-set victory, 25-21.
The tide turned in favor of the Hornets in the third set. Kalamazoo took an 8-0 lead and opened with an 11-2 run over the Bulldogs. Adrian showed some fight and responded with a 9-2 run of their own. The Bulldogs' 11 errors were too much to overcome, however, and the Hornets pulled out a 25-19 victory in the set.
Down to their last chance, the Bulldogs found themselves in a back-and-forth battle that included seven lead changes. After a 7-1 run that gave them a 19-16 advantage, it looked like the Hornets had taken control of the set, and potentially the match. What happened next was a 9-4 run in favor of Adrian that was highlighted by kills courtesy of Khloe Budzynski, Ava Acre, and Lauren Boehmer. Adrian evened up the match with a 25-23 victory.
The decisive fifth set was controlled by Adrian from the get-go. Two Kaiya Denny service aces helped put Adrian ahead 3-0 out of the gate. Kora Nicolanti had two service aces of her own that gave the Bulldogs a commanding 7-2 lead. Despite the Hornets' best efforts, the Bulldogs never gave up the lead, ultimately winning the set 15-9 and the match 3-2.
Tonight's win extended the Bulldogs' winning streak over Kalamazoo to six straight wins.
Up Next
Adrian will look to keep the momentum rolling on Friday when they travel to Albion College to take on the Britons at 6:30 PM.
