The freshman outside hitting duo of Sarah Pruden (Noblesville, Ind.) and Kelsie Thomas (Wabash, Ind.) paced the Black and Gold. Pruden ended with a double-double in kills (11) and digs (20), while Thomas added 11 kills. Sophomore middle hitter Chelsea Hoffmann (Silver Lake, Ind.) added seven kills. Sophomore setter Mallory Kirkwood (Greenfield, Ind.) aided the front line play with 30 assists.

MU, dropping to 9-11 overall and 0-3 in league play, held a 20-18 lead in set two against Defiance (13-8, 3-0 HCAC) before the visitors rallied behind a pair of blocks and Spartan attack and ball handling errors for the win. MU was close again in the third set, trailing only 22-21, until a ball handling error and Yellowjacket service ace and kill closed the comeback.

Coach Kendra Marlowe's squad looks to put the brakes on a six-match skid when Franklin College and St. Mary's College of Indiana visit Stauffer-Wolfe Arena for a triangular Saturday, Oct. 6. The Spartans take on the Grizzlies in HCAC play at 12 p.m. and then face St. Mary's at 4 p.m.