Despite being a young squad this season, the Hiram Terriers’ volleyball team has been tested early and often and is still standing strong. The Terriers stayed undefeated in league play by topping Presidents’ Athletic Conference rival Bethany 25-17, 16-25, 25-18, 25-16 last Saturday afternoon in the Price Gymnasium at Hiram College.
“I think the girls did awesome,” said Coach Macy Roell. “We had a little bump in the road in the second set, but they came back and played Hiram volleyball, so I am very proud of them.”
Having now begun league play, Hiram (8-6, 3-0) has enjoyed a fast start, rising to the top of the league standings with a perfect PAC record.
On Saturday, after racing ahead 1-0 by winning the first set 25-17, the Terriers lost the second set and their first in league play 25-16.
After trading points early with the Bison, Hiram was plagued with poor ball control and unforced mental errors, as Bethany used an 8-2 run to race out to a 16-10 lead.
The Terriers committed seven errors in the second set and only record a .083 kill percentage.
Freshman defensive setter/libero Jacey English acknowledged that the Bison seized control by luring Hiram into playing to their tempo, and the Terriers fell 25-16, evening the match at 1-1.
“I think they started to do some things right and we started to kill ourselves a little bit more,” noted the 5-foot-5 freshman, who collected five assists and 17 digs.
According to the second-year coach, it marked one of the few times this season that the Terriers needed some sort of spark after experiencing a significant setback after a promising beginning to the match.
Hiram responded swiftly in the third set by using a 9-3 surge to take an 18-12 edge into the last phase of the set.
Sophomore outside hitter Megan Chiang keyed the Terriers’ offensive attack in the third set, tallying six kills and eight digs, pacing Hiram to go back on top 2-1 by winning the set 25-16.
The 5-foot-8 sophomore continued finding open shots in the fourth set, amassing five kills and two digs, keying an 11-5 run at the beginning of the set, leading the Terriers to an 18-11 lead and Hiram clinched the match victory by winning the fourth set 25-16.
According to Chiang, who finished the match with 16 kills and 17 digs, it was not just about converting kills but doing a bit of everything to spark Hiram.
“I think for me just mixing it up and not being so set on just one thing,” she added. “That one thing will score because there are so many ways you can score as a hitter which helps, so I think just mixing it up here and there.”
On a Hiram squad that fields only one senior, the 5-foot-8 Chiang has become of the Terriers’ most reliable offensive options.
“Megan is awesome,” said Roell. “She truly does it all, she can serve and receive well, her defense is killer, she knows where to place the ball and her blocking has come a long way too, so really just around a phenomenal person as well.”
English said the Terriers adjusted to Bethany’s style after the second set, enabling the defense to settle in and stifle the Bison from any more big runs.
“I think we did a good job of controlling the run game,” she said. “I feel like we did a much better job in the run game in the fourth set. We knew we had to get the job done and we just got it done.”
Although Hiram returned only two starters from last year’s squad, Roell said that she challenged her squad early in the season with a difficult non-conference schedule. The Terriers went 5-6 in non-conference play, learning not just the pace of college volleyball but how to play with each other, and Roell said that the team is better for it, having not lost a PAC match yet.
“It certainly has been interesting and it has been fun to see them figuring things out and working with stuff in practice every day,” she noted “I think at the beginning of the year we didn’t have a lot of time with our preseason being shorter so I think as the season goes on it is going to get better.”
Following a road league duel against Thiel College on Wednesday evening, Hiram will travel to face PAC foe Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA on Saturday evening at 5 p.m.
