Fort Wayne, Ind. - After battling through a lengthy first set, the Marian volleyball team continued their winning ways en route to their fifth consecutive victory, sweeping St. Francis 3-0 on Saturday afternoon. Marian's winning streak brings their overall record to 12-5 on the season, while moving to 6-1 in Crossroads League play. The Knights win also moved them into sole possession of second place in the Crossroads League with two matches remaining in the first half of the conference year.

The Knights fell into a large hole to begin Saturday's match, allowing a 6-0 run that helped the Cougars build a 12-4 first set lead. Gabby Fish helped lead the charge in getting Marian back into the flow as four kills helped the Knights inch back into the game. A 7-1 Marian run was not enough to tie or take the lead ast the Cougars remained in front, but trailing 20-14, the Knights made the mark again with a 4-0 run. Trailing 21-18, Khori Dryden got involved in the offense and spiked the tying kill, while a block from Averi Lanman and Fish pushed Marian in front 22-21, giving them the lead for the first time since the opening rally. The two sides would continue to exchange points as neither team was able to win the set cleanly. After eight set points, a setting error gave the Knights a breather, with Khori Dryden slamming the winning point in the 32-30 set one.

After the marathon set one, Marian wasted no time upending St. Francis in the second set, winning 25-12. Marian scored the first four points of the set with three setting errors harming the Cougars, and later used a 7-0 run to open a double-digit lead at 15-5. Marian continued to attack with blocks from Lanman and Fish and kills from Madison Brooks and Dryden, as they easily coasted to their 2-0 match lead.

The third set would come closer after Marian's dominant attack in the second, as the Knights were only able to build a lead of two points through 20 rallies. St. Francis captured a brief lead after tying the set with an 11-10 advantage, but Marian was able to get back into system with Lanman and Dryden helping build a 14-12 advantage. Marian's lead would balloon to as many as three on two occasions before St. Francis responded, never relenting the lead. A 3-0 run fueled by a Sydney Schaffer service ace helped keep Marian in the lead for good, as Lanman and Grace Hunter combined for a block on the final rally to complete the sweep with a 25-21 victory.

Dryden led the Knights in kills with nine, while Fish had seven in the win. Lanman posted six blocks in the victory while hitting .571, as Marian totaled 8.0 blocks in the win. Hunter posted a team-high 10 digs, and Katie Hardegree led the Knights with 19 assists. 

With their win over the Cougars, Marian will return home to complete the first half of the conference slate, hosting on Wednesday and Friday night. Marian will take on No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan on Wednesday night to begin their week, with the match beginning at 7 p.m. in the PE Center.

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