Box Score CINCINNATI, OHIO – It's an afternoon Manchester University head coach Bryndon Paulsen and the 2015 Spartans won't soon forget.
Rallying from an opening set 25-17 loss to host Mt. St. Joseph University, MU reeled off 25-20, 25-21, and 25-21 decisions to claim a key Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory inside the Harrington Center Saturday, Oct. 17. It was the program's first-ever win over the traditionally-strong Lions.
"It came down to the team showing a defensive side we hadn't seen," Paulsen said of Saturday's performance. "There had been flashes here and there, but we hadn't put together a full match like this. We were scrappy … diving all over the court and getting touches on so many (MSJ attacks). Even though our offense was getting frustrated, the defense was able to keep things rolling."
Junior outside hitter Courtney Chowning (Yorktown, Ind.) guided the attack, drilling 17 kills that were part of an attacking-defensive double-double, as she also accumulated a team-best 18 digs. Senior middle hitter Morgan Pavelka (Noblesville, Ind.) was also strong at the net with seven kills and a .333 attack percentage to go with two service aces. Other impressive numbers came from freshman setter Dakota Stanichuk (Troy, Mich.) (35 assists, three service aces) and freshman defensive specialist/libero Morgan Oliver (Alexandria, Ind.) (15 digs, four assists, one service ace).
The win helped move Manchester University into the league's top six with only two HCAC matches remaining in the regular season. MU opens a regular-season closing four-match home stand Wednesday, Oct. 21, as co-league unbeaten Bluffton University of Ohio visits Stauffer-Wolfe Arena for a 7 p.m. first serve.
NOTES: MU's three conference wins are the most for the program since 2010 … Chowning recorded her 10th kills-digs double-double. She concluded a two-match week averaging 15 kills and nearly 19 digs per match against Defiance College of Ohio and MSJ … Stanichuk increased a current streak of multiple service ace matches to three in a row, and Pavelka upped her skein of .200-or-higher attack percentage efforts to four successive matches.
