SANDUSKY, Ohio - The Spartan volleyball team took three out of four matches to start the 2023 season at the Great Lakes Crossover hosted by Heidelberg University.

Manchester took on the host Heidelberg to open the tournament on Friday, September 1st. Manchester fell 3-1 by scores of 25-14, 18-25, 25-21, and 26-24 in competitive back and forth action. Avery Ball (Decatur, Ind., Belmont) and Joy Maze (Greenwood, Ind., Greenwood Community) led the Spartans in kills with 14 and 13 each. Tiffany Watterson (Elkhart, Ind., Elkhart) had a weekend-high 29 digs for the Spartans. Manchester first-year Falyn McPeek (Rock City, Ill., Dakota) led the team with 4 aces while fellow first-year Lily Lichtenbarger (South Bend, Ind., New Prairie) added 4 blocks defensively.

MU took on Capital University later that night and earned its first win of the season, defeating the Comets 3-1 despite dropping the 1st set 21-25. The Spartans swept the next three sets with scores of 25-17, 25-21, and 25-21. As a team, the Spartans hit .204 with 45 kills. Joy Maze (Greenwood, Ind., Greenwood Community) again led the Spartans with 15 kills. Tiffany Watterson (Elkhart, Ind., Elkhart) tallied 15 digs and 3 aces to wrap up the first day of action.

The Spartans returned to the court Saturday, September 2nd to take on the Washiningan Shorewomen and the Oberlin Yeowomen.

Manchester defeated Washington in straight sets with scores of 26-24, 25-15, and 25-18. Sophomore Kaitlyn Smith (Anderson, Ind., Liberty Christian) highlighted the defensive efforts with 6 blocks. Emma Tone (Fort Wayne, Ind., Bishop Dwenger) added a team high 11 assists to aid a team hitting percentage of .207. Joy Maze (Greenwood, Ind., Greenwood Community) tallied 11 kills and 11 digs against the Shorewomen.

In Manchester's final match of the Great Lakes Crossover, the Spartans took on Oberlin College. The Black and Gold came away with another win, this time in thrilling five set action. Manchester dropped the first two sets 23-25 and 21-25 before sweeping the final three with scores of 27-25, 25-19, and 15-11. Avery Ball (Decatur, Ind., Belmont) led Manchester with 21 digs and 4 blocks. Joy Maze (Greenwood, Ind., Greenwood Community) had 15 kills on the afternoon, while Jessica Tarr (Fort Wayne, Ind., Snider) added 7 kills and 1 block.

The Spartans, now 3-1, look to build on their success on Wednesday, September 6th when they take on the Olivet Comets. Match time is set for 6:30 p.m. in Stauffer-Wolfe Arena.