Box Score NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – Spurred on by a vocal home crowd inside Stauffer-Wolfe Arena, Manchester University pushed co-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference unbeaten Defiance College of Ohio to the final point Wednesday, Oct. 15.
MU, despite slipping to 4-19 overall and 0-5 in conference play, rebounded from 25-14 and 25-13 first and third set losses to win sets two and four 25-17 and 25-21. DC (13-10 overall, 4-0 HCAC) jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the decider and then reeled off the final six points for the 15-7 final that sealed a hard-fought 3-2 match win.
The offensive trio of junior outside hitter Sarah Pruden (Noblesville, Ind.), junior middle hitter Morgan Pavelka (Noblesville, Ind.) and sophomore outside hitter Courtney Chowning (Yorktown, Ind.) lifted the Black and Gold. Each of them finished in double-digit kills with Chowning's 16 pacing the group as part of a double-double with 15 digs. Pavelka and Pruden each turned in .200-or-higher attack percentages and both hammered 11 kills at the Yellowjacket defense.
Manchester University's defense got in on the act, too. Junior middle hitter Devin Clark (Madison, Ind.) blocked five Defiance College attack attempts, with one of them solo, while junior setter Mikayla Munn (Elkhart, Ind.) tallied a team-high 17 digs and compiled three block assists.
The Spartans continue league play Saturday, Oct. 18, with a 1:30 p.m. first serve at Earlham College.
NOTES: Pavelka belted out her 10th .200-or-higher attack percentage … Chowning's contributed double-digit kill numbers in five successive and eight of her last nine appearances … Pruden takes a run of three straight double-figure kill matches into the weekend … Munn is 28 assists shy of hitting the 800 mark this season.
