Winona Lake, Ind. - Shorthanded due to injury, the Marian volleyball team put up a fight in sets one and three, but were unable to capture a win against Grace College as the Lancers swept the Knights 3-0. Marian falls to 12-6 and 4-5 on the season following the loss.

After a strong hitting performance on Saturday against Goshen, the Knights could not find the same offensive numbers on Wednesday, as Grace dominated the attack throughout the match. The Lancers hit .227 in set one and .211 in set three, winning the two games by a combined eight points. In set two, Grace defeated Marian 25-12, hitting .500 in the game while Marian had a 0.000 hitting percentage. 

The opening set was a back-and-forth battle early on, until a 3-0 run pushed an 11-9 Grace lead into a 14-9 edge. The Knights would rally back and fight to take the lead, using an 8-2 scoring spree to jump in front 17-16. The rally came after a timeout was called trailing 15-10, as Avery Toole, Mya Cunningham, and Chloe Cook willed Marian into the lead. The Lancers would answer with a 5-1 spree of their own, reclaiming the lead and building a 21-18 cushion. Grace would go on to win the set 25-20, as the Knights committed a pair of errors to seal their fate in the set.

Set two belonged to Grace, as they broke through the early back-and-forth start and took an 11-7 lead on the Knights. Khori Dryden would halt Grace's momentum, however, only temporarily, as Grace continued to build up their attack. Marian totaled seven attack errors in the set, which aided the home team's 25-12 victory in set two.

Marian responded early in set three and gained an 8-6 lead on Grace, but was unable to sustain the scoring attack, as a 5-0 run jumped the Lancers back into the lead. Marian stayed in the fight and capitalized on Grace's attack errors to stay in the game, eventually taking a narrow 13-12 lead on a Lexa Zimmerman service ace, but it would not be enough to keep the hosts down. Grace would reclaim the lead for good at 16-15, and pushed the set to match point with a 24-19 lead. Two kills from Khori Dryden would extend play as the Knights fought until the finish, but it would not be enough to force set four, as Marian fell 25-22 in the final set.

Dryden led the Knights with nine kills and 12 digs, while Sami Luttel had a team-high 14 assists. Ava Tindall and Sarah Bennett each had one block assist in the loss, and Zimmerman had the team's only ace. 

The Knights will start the second half of Crossroads League play next Wednesday, traveling to Spring Arbor for a mid-week match with the Cougars.

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