INDIANAPOLIS - Riding a three-match winning streak entering Friday night, the Marian volleyball extended their home court wins as the Knights swept Grace College in the PE Center. Marian's win (25-18,-20,-19) is their 11th of the year, as they improve to 11-5 on the campaign and 4-1 in Crossroads League play, sliding into a tie for second place in the league standings.

Marian built momentum in the first set, as they grew a quick 5-3 lead. A pair of kills from Marian hitters Gabby Fish and Khori Dryden helped push the lead to four, however Grace fought with the Knights, rallying back to tie the set at 12-12. After a joust of side outs, a 3-0 run for Marian sparked by Mikayla Christiansen forced a Lancer timeout, with the Knights in front 18-15. The run helped Marian take control of the set, with an additional 4-0 paced by Lancer attack errors fueling the fire. Marian would win the opening set 25-19, scoring 14 kills in the first game of the night.

Grace responded after falling behind 0-1 and challenged Marian early in the second set as the score was tied through eight rallies, but a 6-0 run sparked by Mikayla Christiansen gave the Knights a new energy. A service ace from Katie Hardegree helped force a timeout as Marian's lead stood at 10-4, while kills from Dryden and Madison Brooks held the margin steady at five. Marian would lead by as many as nine in the second set with a Sydney Schaffer service ace boosting the advantage, as the Knights withstood a late surge to win 25-20.

Now leading 2-0 in the match, Marian wasted little time putting their stamp on the evening, building a 9-3 lead through 12 rallies. Brooks helped score four of the first nine points as she scored a block, assist, and two kills in the flurry. Grace would eventually teeter the scale and rally back to a flush score at 11-11, but Marian was able to maintain control as they never surrendered the lead. Dryden and a pair of Lancer errors would allow Marian to regain a cushion and build a four-point lead, while a late 4-0 run put the set out of reach. Hardegree and Gabby Fish put away the final points of the evening, as Marian closed their fourth consecutive sweep with a 25-18 victory in the third set.

Brooks led Marian's balanced offensive numbers with seven kills, while Jaymison Summers, Dryden, and Fish each had six kills. Brooks also had three total blocks and a pair of digs, scoring a total of 8.5 points in the match. Logan Smith paced the setters with 16 helpers on the night, and Emma Lyons led the back row with 19 digs in the win. Schaffer finished with nine digs and two of Marian's four service aces.

Marian will look to extend their winning streak to five as they take to the road on Saturday, traveling to St. Francis for a 4 p.m. match against the Cougars.



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