Findlay Wins Back-to-Back | Handled the Storm
Painesville, Ohio – The University of Findlay volleyball team has now won back-to-back games, topping the Lake Erie Storm 3-0 (27-25, 25-15, 25-19) on Saturday, Nov. 5. With the victory, Findlay now has a record of 18-13 and are 14-4 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play. Lake Erie falls to 3-25 on the year with a 1-17 record in the G-MAC.
In the first set, the Oilers got off to a hot start outscoring the Storm 5-1 to open the day. But a few miscues by Findlay tied the set and kept it close throughout. With the score tied at 24, the Oilers capitalized on a service error by the storm to take a one point lead. Findlay then had set point but the Storm recorded a kill to tie the set up at 25. Sophomore Journey Blevins recorded a kill followed by a Lake Erie attack error for the Oilers to edge out a win in the first set.
The second set saw the Storm take an early surge, leading 4-2 to open. However, four consecutive points put the Oilers on top and they never trailed again. Findlay went on an 8-1 run mid-set to gain the momentum and cruise to the win in the second set.
The Storm, in the third set, battled back and took an early lead over the Oilers. They would find seven consecutive points to put themselves ahead of the Oilers. Lake Erie's biggest lead came at 17-13 where they led by four. However, the Oilers then went on a 12- 2 run, which included six consecutive closing points, to put the Storm away in three sets.
Findlay recorded 40 kills on 89 attempts with 11 errors to hit .326 on the day. Meanwhile, Lake Erie recorded 31 kills on 97 attempts with 17 errors and hit .144.
Sophomore Journey Blevins and senior Norah Painter led the way for Findlay. Blevins recorded twelve kills while hitting .346. Meanwhile, Painter recorded eleven kills and hit .333.
Standout freshman Emma White, who is second in Division II in total assists, added 33 to her total and also added seven digs. The leader in that category was sophomore Ava Doster who recorded 16 digs. Journey Blevins added nine digs while junior Alissa Rhodes tallied eight.
Emma Meyer and Journey Blevins led the way defensively at the net. Meyer recorded three blocks and Blevins recorded two.
Findlay will now turn their attention to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship that is being held Nov. 10-12. They await the seeding and tournament matchups.