PAINESVILLE, Ohio – The Lake Erie volleyball team hosted senior night in their final home game of the season against the Cedarville Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets would comfortably take the first two sets. The Storm would answer in sets three and four, with the third set needing extra points. In the deciding set, the Yellow Jackets would hold on to salvage the match. The lone senior Jasmine Heyward was honored pregame. Allison Kirch would post career highs in kills, aces, and digs in the match. 
 
Team Records
 
Lake Erie: 10-17 (3-11)
Cedarville: 19-5 (11-1)
 
Game Recap
 
Cedarville- 3
Lake Erie- 2
 
Set 1: After the teams exchanged points, the Yellow Jackets would move ahead 8-5. The Storm would cut the lead to 8-7 after an ace from Cecelia Mullen. Cedarville would grab momentum, taking 10 straight points, to move ahead 21-8. The Yellow Jackets would take the set comfortably 25-11.   
 
Set 2: The Yellow Jackets continued momentum from the first set, going ahead 12-7. The Storm would take the next two points with a kill from Jasmine Heyward, assisted by Dylan Fox, and an ace from Kylie Anderson. Cedarville would continue to overpower the Storm, growing their lead to 23-12. The Yellow Jackets would take the set 25-15.      
 
Set 3: The Storm would show life early, grabbing their first lead of the match at 10-6, taking six of seven points with three kills from Kirch and a block from Kennedy Stewart and Ni'yah Fuggs. Lake Erie would then grow their lead to 15-8 after kills from Stewart and Heyward, and an ace from Kirch. The Yellow Jackets would go on a 4-0 and 5-0 run to retake the lead 20-18. The Storm would move back ahead 22-21 after two kills from Gabrielle Jones. Extra points would be needed to decide the set with each team ready to take the set, but neither would pull through. Lake Erie would rip off three straight points to take the set 30-28 after a kill from Kirch and an ace from Fuggs. 
 
Set 4: The teams would exchange points throughout the set with the lead being no bigger than two points. The Storm would push through, taking six straight points for a 23-18 lead after kills from Fuggs and Kirch, a solo block from Kennady Wiley, a block from Fuggs and Wiley, and an ace from Paige Jestadt. Two kills from Kirch, each assisted from Jenna Sayles would give Lake Erie the set 25-19. 
 
Set 5: The race to 15 began with the Yellow Jackets grabbing a quick 5-2 lead. Cedarville would then grow their lead to 10-5. The Storm would take three of the next four points, cutting their deficit to 11-8 with kills from Heyward, Fuggs, and Kirch. Kills from Fuggs and Kirch would not be enough as the Yellow Jackets would hold 15-10. 
 
Key Team Stats:
 
Kills: Storm- 52, Yellow Jackets- 70
Attack Errors: Storm- 29, Yellow Jackets- 26
Hitting Percentage: Storm- .122, Yellow Jackets- .234
 
Aces: Storm- 8, Yellow Jackets- 8 
Blocks: Storm- 10, Yellow Jackets- 11
Assists: Storm- 47, Yellow Jackets- 65
Digs: Storm- 80, Yellow Jackets- 97
 
Top Storm Performers:
 
Kills: Allison Kirch (21, *Career High*), Ni'yah Fuggs (12), Jasmine Heyward (8)
Aces: Allison Kirch (3, *Career High*), Jenna Sayles (1), Ni'yah Fuggs (1)
Blocks: Kennady Wiley (6), Jasmine Heyward (4), Ni'yah Fuggs (2)
Assists: Jenna Sayles (19), Kylie Anderson (17), Dylan Fox (6)
Digs: Allison Kirch (21, *Career High*), Cecelia Mullen (19), Jenna Sayles (9)
 
The Matchup
 
Lake Erie and Cedarville have gone the distance in consecutive matches with each team winning on the road. Lake Erie is now 1-9 all-time.
 
Looking Ahead
 
Lake Erie will conclude their season with two matches in the Bluegrass State, with the first matchup against Thomas More University on Thursday, November 13th at 6 p.m.  
 
Thomas More is currently 10-12 overall and 6-6 in G-MAC play this season. Recently, the Saints fell in straight sets at home against Ohio Dominican and won in five sets on the road at Tiffin. In the 2025 preseason poll, Thomas More was picked to finish 3rd in the G-MAC South division.