HILLSDALE, Mich. – The Lake Erie College women's volleyball team claimed the opening set but was unable to maintain its momentum, falling to Hillsdale College in four sets on Saturday, 19-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-17.
The Storm finished with 43 kills, led by Allison Kirch and Ni'yah Fuggs, who recorded 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Rori Hanken added eight kills, while Kylie Anderson paced the offense with 33 assists.
Lake Erie opened the match with a strong first-set performance, hitting .306 while limiting Hillsdale to a .130 attack percentage. The Storm used a series of scoring runs to build an advantage and maintained control down the stretch to secure a 25-19 victory.
Hillsdale responded in the second set, jumping out to an early lead and capitalizing on Lake Erie's offensive errors. The Chargers maintained their advantage throughout the set, evening the match with a 25-16 win.
The third set featured a more competitive start, with the teams trading points before Hillsdale began to create separation. Lake Erie continued to battle, but the Chargers closed out the set 25-21 to take a 2-1 lead.
Hillsdale carried that momentum into the fourth set, building an early advantage and keeping the Storm from putting together a sustained comeback. Lake Erie worked to close the gap, but the Chargers secured the match with a 25-17 victory.
Defensively, Kennedy Stewart led the Storm with 12 block assists, while Hanken contributed seven block assists. Paige Jestadt recorded a team-high 15 digs, and Kirch and Dylan Fox added 12 digs apiece.
The Storm are back in action on Friday, Oct. 30, at Cedarville University. The first serve is set for 7 p.m.
