The Hiram Terriers’ volleyball team has announced its presence in a big way this season, as they pushed their winning streak to 10 matches by sweeping Presidents’ Athletic Conference foe Saint Vincent College 25-11, 25-13, 25-23 and storming back to edge the University of Mount Union 23-25, 20-25, 26-24, 25-16, 15-7 last Saturday at Hiram College’s Price Gymnasium.
“In the first match against Saint Vincent, the girls just dominated. We were working well together, and we were in system for most of the game so that helped a lot, but the Mount Union game proved to be a little bit tougher of a game which we expected, but the resilience that they have shown throughout the season has been incredibly positive,” said Coach Macy Roell.
Although the Terriers (14-1, 5-0) are in their first season as full-fledged members of the PAC with a new head coach and a young roster consisting of 14 freshmen, that has not slowed them down from rising to the top of the standings and matching a program record for the longest winning streak with 10 consecutive victories under their belt.
According to the first-year coach, she and her team have aligned in having something to prove despite being newcomers.
“I think everybody has been excited to move to the PAC and make that transition, but I think myself and the girls have been pretty excited to prove ourselves and just work through everything together,” Roell added. “It has definitely been a team effort.”
In the first match on Saturday, the Terriers raced out to a commanding 2-0 lead after winning the first two sets, 25-11 and 25-13. Roell said that Hiram’s fast start was fueled by everything clicking on offense, and the play of freshmen outside hitters Sofia Smotek and Megan Chiang.
The Terriers’ freshmen duo combined to record 33 kills in the first match.
“They are doing a phenomenal job,” noted Roell. “They are incredibly smart. They have definitely been leading the way, but our middles have also done an excellent job as well of being offensive weapons when we really need them to be.”
The Bearcats made some adjustments in the third set and held a 15-11 advantage at the halfway point, but Hiram stormed back with a 12-8 run, tying the match at 23-23 and won the next two points, fending off Saint Vincent’s comeback for their first victory.
Roell acknowledged that she has never seen a team as young as Hiram demonstrate as much poise in high-leverage situations, but the Terriers have done so time and again throughout the season.
“I think we are experienced in the positions that are important to be experienced in like our libero and our setter are both seniors and they both have had a lot of playing time throughout their four years so it is working,” she said.
In the second match, Roell said that the Purple Raiders used a defensive formation that kept Hiram off balance and also stifled their offense, especially the kill attempts by the 5-foot-7 Smotek and the 5-foot-9 Chiang.
Mount Union won the first two sets 25-23 and 25-20 and were on the verge of ending the Terriers’ Day early as they reached match point in the third set with a 24-22 lead.
The Terriers staved off match point twice, trying the score at 24-24 and scored with two more points, clinching a 26-24 win to force a fourth set.
Roell said that Hiram improved its service game and became more physical, freeing up the front row to have more kill opportunities and won the fourth set 25-16.
Hiram did not relinquish its momentum in the decisive fifth set, taking an early 8-4 lead and engineering a 7-3 run, completing the comeback and clinching their second victory of the day.
“When I can trust them to keep their composure and really just grit it out and not have to worry about them, I think it also helps that us as a coaching staff to stay incredibly calm and collected throughout the game and in any situation,” Roell said.
After recording only 19 kills in the first two sets, the Terriers’ offense responded by tallying 36 kills in the final three sets, including going five-of-eight on kill opportunities in the fifth set.
“We just started serving better and started serving the shots that we wanted to hit, and we also started blocking much better,” Roell noted. “Our blocking saved us for sure in the last three sets as well as our serving.”
Following a road match against PAC foe Thiel College on Wednesday night, Hiram will return home and host league rival Waynesburg University at Price Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
