Oilers Thrill in Crossover Finale
Hammond, Ind.- The University of Findlay volleyball team traveled to Hammond, Ind. for the 2022 Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover. They played three matches this weekend, concluding today Saturday, Oct. 6 against Grand Valley State. The Oilers came away victorious in a 3-1 (26-24, 20-25, 27-25, 33-31) thrilling match.
In the first set, the match was back-and-forth. The Lakers went on a 9-1 run to take a 14-10 lead and capture the momentum in the set. However, the Oilers wouldn't go away easily as they put up a 9-3 run of their own to win the set.
The second set was again back-and-forth as the game was tied on six separate occasions as neither team held more than a four point lead. With the score tied at 19, the Lakers held the advantage and took five consecutive points to end the set.
In the third, the Oilers held an early advantage as they were up 21-14 late in the set. But a 10-3 run by the Lakers would tie the set at 24. The score would be tied once at 25 before a kill by Alana Pohlman followed by an attack error on the Lakers, giving the Oilers a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth set.
With six courts playing simultaneously, many games in the arena were coming to an end. With a crowd growing and other teams gathering, the Oilers started the fourth and final set of the match. After capturing the first four points of the set, the momentum seemed to be in favor of the Oilers. In fact they took a 7-2 lead early in the set. But longtime rival Grand Valley State would set up a run of their own and tie the score at 12. With the crowd growing, neither team led by more than two as the set extended well beyond 25. With the lead switching point-by-point, the Oilers fought off the Lakers set points five different times. A Journey Blevins kill tied the match at 31, followed by an attack error by Grand Valley to give the Oilers match point. It was ultimately Taylor Baxter who secured the victory with a solo block to send court one into a frenzy.
The Oilers hit .292 in the match, recording 65 kills and 20 errors. Grand Valley hit .291 with 69 kills with 25 errors. The Oilers also added nine aces on the day.
Sophomore Journey Blevins, who ranks eighth in the nation for total kills, led the way with 26 kills hitting an impressive .436. Her 26 kills tie for the eleventh most in a match and tops her season best where she recorded 25 against Mercyhurst. She also recorded eight digs in her standout performance.
Following Blevins was freshman Alana Pohlman who had a standout match of her own. She recorded 19 kills and hit .419. Pohlman set a new career record by racking up 19 kills. She also recorded two blocks. Senior Norah Painter chipped in twelve kills.
Freshman Emma White, who ranks tenth in Division II in assists this season, added 57 assists to her total. Sophomore Ava Doster recorded 16 digs followed closely by junior Alissa Rhodes who added eleven.
The Oilers will be back in action when they travel to Walsh University for a G-MAC matchup on Friday, Oct. 21 at 6pm.