Kokomo, Ind. — Marian University Volleyball senior Khori Dryden eclipsed 1,000 career kills on Saturday, as the Knights split a doubleheader at the IU Kokomo Tournament with a win over Saint Xavier before falling to 10th-ranked Cumberlands.
MATCH ONE | Marian 3, Saint Xavier 1
TEAM STATISTICS
- Marian had 61 kills to Saint Xavier's 38
- The Cougars recorded nine of 14 aces in the match
- SXU picked up 10 blocks to four for the Knights
- MU had 63 digs to Saint Xavier's 47
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Chloe Cook tallied a career-high 22 kills on an astounding .487 hitting percentage
- Mya Cunningham and Sami Luttel both registered 24 assists
- Lexa Zimmerman tallied 15 digs along with six assists from the libero position
- Khori Dryden also registered double-digit digs with 11, while eclipsing 1,000 career kills
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST SET
- Saint Xavier scored five straight points to take an early lead and force a Marian timeout
- The Knights responded with four straight points to tie the match at 10
- After a Cougar timeout, the run extended to seven, as Cook's kill made it 13-10
- Danielle Schade had three kills in a four-point span, but Saint Xavier scored five straight to tie the set up at 17
- An Emerson Evans ace and an Evie Dart helped the Knights create distance before the end of the set; Lainey Brauman's kill clinched the opening frame for MU
SECOND SET
- The Cougars went on an 11-0 run to turn a 9-6 deficit to a 17-9 lead in the second
- Marian returned the favor with six straight points, which included two kills and an ace from Cook to take a late lead, 21-20
- Saint Xavier took five of seven points down the stretch to even up the match at a set apiece
THIRD SET
- The teams traded points in the third before four SXU errors in a 5-0 Marian run forced a Cougars timeout
- The Knights piled on with another seven unanswered to take a commanding 24-15 lead
- Cook ended the frame with a kill off a Cunningham assist to go in front 2-1
FOURTH SET
- The teams went back and forth until Cook and Schade bookended kills on a three-point Marian run to flip the lead, 18-16
- Ava Tindall came up big to close out the match, tallying the final two kills
MATCH TWO | #10 Cumberlands 3, Marian 1
TEAM STATISTICS
- Both teams recorded 56 kills
- Cumberlands picked up 10 aces to Marian's five
- UC also held the edge in blocks, 8-4
- MU led in digs 69-64
- The Patriots hit .217; the Knights hit .203
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Cook added to her monster day with 19 more kills at a .368 clip
- Dryden picked up 14 kills and 12 digs
- Tindall tallied double-digit kills with 10
- Cunningham registered a team-high 27 assists with nine digs
- Dart led the Knights with three blocks
- Zimmerman tied a team-best with 12 digs
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST SET
- The teams traded blows until Cumberlands' three-point run forced a Marian timeout with the Knights trailing 17-12
- The Patriots tacked on to their opening-set lead with five straight, leading 22-13
- Savannah Jolly's ace wrapped up the win in the opening frame for UC, 25-17
SECOND SET
- A Tindall kill and two attack errors had Marian up 7-5 early in the second set, but Cumberlands took seven of eight to turn a lead
- The Knights returned the favor, as Cook and Tindall combined for seven straight Marian points; MU led 20-14
- Another Dryden kill preceded her ace which evened the match at a set apiece
THIRD SET
- Cumberlands survived a seven-point Marian run to still lead 17-16 near the midway point
- The Knights were able to get within reach at 24-22, but the Patriots picked up the kill on set point to lead two sets to one
FOURTH SET
- Cook and Tindall once again teamed up for a three-point Marian run, as the Knights led 21-20 deep into the fourth
- The Patriots responded with a string of three of their own to go up 23-21
- Cook and Dryden recorded kills in Marian's response with three straight, serving with set point at 24-23
- UC utilized two aces to turn a 25-25 standstill into the match-clinching points
UP NEXT
- Marian returns to Crossroads League action on the road next week, heading to Goshen College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
