Marion, Ind. - The Marian volleyball team dropped a hard-fought four set battle Wednesday night in Crossroads League play, as No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan won 3-1 over the 24th-ranked Knights. Marian is now 19-7 overall on the season and 10-6 in the Crossroads League.

Marian blitzed the Wildcats in the first set, putting up a dominant offensive performance as they scored 14 kills on 39 attacks with one error, while the Wildcats had seven errors on their 51 attacks. After falling behind 8-5 in the first set, Marian rallied with a combination of Mikayla Christiansen kills and blocks, as Marian embarked on an 6-0 run to take a 13-10 lead. Madison Brooks and Nicole Wilkinson recorded multiple blocks in the run, and helped Marian lead the remainder of the set, as the Knights eventually forced a second Indiana Wesleyan during their 8-0 run that sealed the game. Christian buried a kill on the final rally, sealing a 25-18 victory in set one. 

Indiana Wesleyan responded in the second set, as they jumped on the Knights early by going on a 10-3 run. Khori Dryden and Sarah Bennett helped Marian get back into the set as they landed kills in a pair of 3-0 runs, but they were unable to get Marian any closer than two points. The Wildcats maintained an edge and pushed ahead 21-15, eventually staving off a Marian rally as they closed the set 25-20. 

Again in the third set the Wildcats would win 25-20, pushing in front after the two sides exchanged two and three point swings in the opening 16 rallies. A 4-0 run by the Wildcats gave either side their first extended taste of the lead at 13-10, and later forced a Marian timeout leading 17-14. Kills from Brooks and Wilkinson made the set a two-point contest once more, but Marian was unable to keep the rally going as they eventually lost the set.

Up against the wall, Marian fought tooth and nail in the fourth set, using a 7-1 run paced by Dryden and Wilkinson to grab an 8-4 lead. Indiana Wesleyan slowly fought back within a point, but were unable to overtake Marian as Gabby Fish and Brooks kept the Knights in front. A 4-0 run by the Wildcats eventually put the home team in the lead, as Marian's 17-15 lead flipped to a two-point deficit. The Knights defense helped bring the game back into a Marian lead, as a pair of blocks gave the visitors a 22-21 lead. The set drew back to a stalemate, and went back and forth until the Wildcats eventually claimed match point. Marian staved off the end of the match twice with a kill from Christiansen and Fish, but were unable to keep their offense going as Indiana Wesleyan closed the match 28-26.

Marian ended the night hitting .171, 13 percentage points higher than the Wildcats. Christiansen led the team in kills with 13, recording a double-double with 18 digs. Khori Dryden had 11 kills and Madison Brooks had 10 kills to go with seven block assists in the match. Nicole Wilkinson had a career-high 11 block assists in the match to go with five kills, and Emma Lyons led the defense with 40 digs. Logan Smith had a double-double with 23 assists and 22 digs, as did Dryden who added 10 digs. 

Marian will aim to regroup as they play their regular season home finale on Saturday, taking on Goshen at 1:00 p.m. The senior day match will feature pregame festivities moments before first serve. 

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