Mount Vernon, Ohio - The Marian volleyball team grinded out a three-set victory on Wednesday night, with the third-ranked Knights sweeping (RV) Mount Vernon Nazarene in straight sets. The win gives Marian a 10-0 record on the year, as they record their second Crossroads League victory of the year.
The competitive match began with a back and forth exchange in the first set, with Marian gaining the advantage with a 4-0 run. Averi Lanman fueled the charge the pushed Marian in front in the first set, granting a three-point lead to the visitors. Kills from Jai-Lyn Norwood helped keep the lead at three, and a block from Jaymison Summers and Gabby Fish pushed the Knights to a 19-15 lead. Skyler Van Note heated up as the set closed, scoring a kill on four of the final six Marian points to close a 25-21 win.
Marian played from behind early in the second set as Mount Vernon took the early lead, but the set soon pushed back to a deadlock. After Marian took a 9-8 lead, the score swayed between a Knights one-point lead and a stalemate, as the two sides traded punches for 20 straight rallies. The Cougars would take the brief upperhand twice in the swing, and a pair of Knight errors gave the home team a 20-18 lead. Van Note scored back to back kills out of a timeout to tie the set, and after another stoppage a Lanman solo block pushed Marian back in front. From the block, Marian scored five of the final seven points to take a 25-22 win.
The third set was nearly identical to the third, as Marian had to fight to the finish to complete their three-set victory. Mount Vernon and Marian traded punches throughout the set, as neither team gained more than a two-point lead through 20 rallies. The set remained a tie as the scoreboard showed 14-14, but the string of back and forth play snapped on a Cougar error and Madison Brooks kill. The Knights used the advantage and increased their lead to four as Brooks hammered two more kills and Sydney Schaffer added a service ace, growing the lead to 19-15. Marian led by as many as four points in the closing stretch, with Van Note ending the night on a kill, capping the 25-22 third set win.
Van Note dominated for the Knights, slamming 16 kills while adding 12 digs in the win for her fifth double-double of the season. Norwood had 11 kills in the win, and Lanman had five kills to go with her five total blocks. Katie Hardegree had 23 assists leading the Marian offense, while Ainsley Neighbors had 18 assists. Gianna Feld led the team in digs with 13, and Emma Lyons had 10 digs in the win for Marian.
Marian will return home for their first home conference matches this weekend, opening on Friday night at home against Huntington at 7 p.m.
MUKnights.com: Your online source for Marian Athletics, tickets, multimedia, Knight merchandise, photos and more
