INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian volleyball team picked up the 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-15) win over Grace Friday night in the PE Center to complete the season sweep of the Lancers. The Knights improve to 19-3 overall and 11-3 in Crossroads League play.
Marian used the home court advantage to fuel an early 12-4 lead in the first set, forcing a timeout to be taken by Grace. The Lancers answered after the timeout with two straight points, but Grace Hunter got the Knights rolling again after her kill. Two attack errors by Marian gave Grace a couple points before the hosts went on a 5-0 run to take the 18-8 lead behind three Skyler Van Note kills. The Lancers only managed five more points in the set as the momentum was all on the Knights side of the net as Madison Brooks and Jaymison Summers would close out set one with two kills to take it 25-13.
The two teams rallied for the first five points of set two before Grace took the 5-3 lead behind a kill and a Marian error. The Knights responded with a Hunter kill before Averi Lanman added a kill to tie things up at 6-6. A majority of the rest of the set went point for point until a kill by Summers propelled the Knights to their largest lead of the set at 18-15. The energy stayed with Marian the remainder of the set, as Brooks, Hunter, and Jai-Lyn Norwood all added a kill to take the second set 25-20.
Set three was a battle at the start with both teams trading points and making the score even at 9-9. However, the Knights saw a 7-2 spurt that came from a Grace error and a kill by Summers that would help Marian take control the remainder of the set. The Lancers had no answer for Marian's balanced offensive attack that saw four different Knights get kills in the final points of the set, leading them to the 25-15 win in set three to take the match.
Marian put together a balanced effort with Van Note leading the way with 10 kills and five digs, while Summers added eight kills. Norwood and Brooks posted seven and six kills apiece, while Hunter added five. Gianna Feld had a team-best 16 digs and Logan Smith led in assists with 13, while Ainsley Neighbors dished out 12.
The Knights will be back tomorrow at 4 PM, traveling to St. Francis.
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