INDIANAPOLIS - For just the second time this season, the Marian volleyball team suffered a home defeat, as the 14th-ranked Grace Lancers handed Marian a three-set loss in the PE Center. Marian drops to 15-4 overall on the season, and 6-3 in the Crossroads League.

Neither team was able to grab a firm hand of the first or second sets, as Grace and Marian battled back and forth throughout both games. Grace won the race to 10 points in the opening set as they built an 11-7 lead, but a service error gave Marian new energy, with Logan Smith putting up a pair of service aces in a 4-0 run. Evie Dart spiked a kill to push Marian ahead 15-13, but after gaining a 16-14 lead on an attack error, the Lancers went on a 7-0 run to take strong 21-14 edge. Marian would use a 3-0 run to get back within two, but were unable to close the gap, falling 25-22 in set one.

Grace got off to a strong start in set two, building a 6-2 lead early before Marian rallied back with kills from Gabby Fish and Khori Dryden. Madison Brooks and Dryden helped tie the set at 7-7, eventually leading to a 10-8 lead for the Knights. The Lancers continued to fight and rattled off six unanswered points, taking a 14-10 lead after consecutive service aces. The Knights stayed steady on the attack and used their defense to keep with the Lancers, as blocks from Sarah Bennett, Dart and Dryden helped bring the game to an 18-18 draw. A 3-0 run helped Marian push ahead after the stalemate, but despite reaching set point at 24-23, Marian was unable to put down the winning ball, falling 26-24 in the second set.

After falling behind 0-2, Marian began to run out of gas, allowing a 5-1 run to Grace in the opening six rallies of the third set. Grace would go on to lead by as many as seven points in the third set, pushing ahead 16-9. Fish and Brooks landed a pair of kills to try and capture momentum for Marian, but a pair of attacks that were denied by the Lancers blockers halted any luck, as the visitors reclaimed their seven-point lead, eventually going on to win the third set 25-19, sweeping the Knights.

Fish led Marian's attack in kills with nine, while Brooks had eight, including a team-best .350 hitting percentage. Mikayla Christiansen finished the evening with seven kills and 10 digs. Emma Lyons led the back row with 15 digs, and Emerson Evans had a team-high 10 assists. Marian recorded 16 block assists in the loss, with Evie Dart claiming four of the 16. 

Marian will look to get back in the win column on October 9, as the Knights host Spring Arbor at 7:00 p.m. to restart the second half of conference play.

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