INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian volleyball team came up short in their Crossroads League home opener on Wednesday night. The Knights were unable to complete a 17-7 third set victory, which factored into the team's 3-1 loss against No. 23 Spring Arbor. Marian falls to 8-2 overall on the season, beginning CL play with a loss.

Marian led early in the first set, with a powerful block from Sarah Bennett and Ava Tindall capturing the crowd as the team built a 7-4 lead. Sami Luttel served up an ace to help Marian win the race to 10 points, but the Cougars quietly roared back, tying the set at 11. Avery Toole scored Marian a 13-12 lead, but a 3-0 run paced by three errors gave the lead back to Spring Arbor. Marian was able to tie the score at 16 with consecutive Chloe Cook kills, and again tied the set at 18 with a Nicole Wilkinson block, but another spree of errors would put the Knights in for the game. Spring Arbor finished the set on a 7-2 run, taking the game 25-20.

Trailing 0-1, the Knights responded in a big way in the second set, amassing a 9-5 lead with kills from Avery Toole and Chloe Cook fueling Marian. Each of the hitters collected four kills in the set, while Ava Tindall piled on three more in Marian's 25-14 victory. Nicole Wilkinson played an equally contributing role in the game, sparking a 7-1 run that gave the Knights complete control. Another run of a 6-1 count would win the set for Marian, with Sarah Bennett scoring a block on the final rally.

Marian took their momentum into the second set, opening on a 4-1 run with the lead gradually pushing to six. Leading 10-4, the Cougars would chip back with two points; however, the flow would not slow down Marian, as an extended run of 9-3 drove the home team on top by 10 points. The lead stood at 17-7 for Marian, but would not be enough as Spring Arbor flexed their ranked prowess with an 8-1 run, shrinking the advantage to two. Avery Toole and Khori Dryden gave Marian a sense of balance as they righted the offense with two kills, but again the Cougars answered, tying the set at 22-22.

Blowing their four-point lead, Marian extended play and kept alive Chloe Cook scored a kill facing set point, and the game would again draw even at 25, but the Cougars were unable to be stopped. A Keely Hinzman kill and error from Avery Toole ended the third set, with Marian falling 27-25. Spring Arbor ended the set on a 20-8 run.

The loss in the third set killed the momentum on Marian's side of the net, while Spring Arbor thrived, opening the final game on a 4-0 run. The Cougars gradually pushed ahead 10-5, and later 17-8, putting their stamp on the set. Sarah Bennett and Ava Tindall were among Marian's bright spots in the final set, but their offensive and defensive efforts could not create a large rally, with Spring Arbor pulling away winners 25-15 in the fourth.

Khori Dryden would lead Marian in kills with 14 as she added 19 digs for a double-double, but managed to hit .056 in the defeat. Chloe Cook scored 12 kills, and Avery Toole finished with nine. Sami Luttel paced the passing with 26 assists while Mya Cunningham had 23. Luttel finished with a double-double logging 10 digs, and Emma Lyons had a team-high 27 digs in the loss. Ava Tindall recorded a team-best five total blocks in the defeat. 

Marian will seek their first Crossroads League victory when they next play, as the Knights host St. Francis (Ind.) on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

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