Oilers Drop Two Matches at the Midwest Region Crossover
Hammond, Ind.- The University of Findlay volleyball team traveled to Hammond, Ind. for the 2022 Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover. They will play three matches this weekend, their first and second were today Friday, Oct. 4 against the Davenport Panther and Missouri S&T Miners.
In their first game against Davenport University, the Oilers fell short in a late game comeback as they dropped the match 3-2 (25-22, 25-19, 24-26, 25-14) and moved to 13-9 on the year and remained 10-1 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). With the win, Davenport moves to 18-4 on the season and 9-2 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
After the Oilers dropped the first two sets to Davenport, Findlay found new momentum. The set went back-and-forth but the Oilers went on a 6-0 run to take a 15-12 lead. The Oilers held the lead until Davenport went on a 4-1 run to tie the set at 22. The score would then be tied at 23 and 24 before a kill by Norah Painter and a service ace by Emma Meyer ended the set.
The Oilers had all the momentum in the fourth set. They took an early 6-1 lead, a lead which they held the entire set. The Oilers would dominate, winning the set by eleven.
In the fifth set, the Oilers found themselves trailing early in the set as the Panthers captured the first four points. From there, Davenport ran with the momentum. They led by five, seven separate occasions. However, the Oilers didn't go away easily as they came back and trailed 13-10. However, a kill and a service ace gave Davenport the win.
As a team, Findlay hit .223, picking up 58 kills and making 21 errors. On the other side, Davenport hit .240 in the match and recorded 54 kills with 19 errors. Both teams struggled with serving as the Oilers recorded sixteen service errors and the Panthers recorded eleven.
The Oilers were led by sophomore Journey Blevins who recorded a team-high 19 kills and hit just .130. The standout, who has won five consecutive G-MAC Athlete of the Week awards, also recorded thirteen digs. Blevins also recorded two assists.
Assisting Blevins were senior Norah Painter and freshman Alana Pohlman. Painter contributed 13 while Pohlman recorded 11.
Freshman Emma White recorded 44 assists. Sophomore Ava Doster contributed 19 digs. Senior Emma Meyer recorded two blocks.
In their second game of the day, the Oilers took on Missouri S&T and fell 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-12, 25-10). The Oilers are now 14-9 on the season and remain 10-1 in the G-MAC.
As a team, Findlay hit .100, picking up 41 kills and making 27 errors. On the other side, the Miners hit .347 to dominate in the match and recorded 54 kills with 13 errors.
Leading the Oilers once was freshman standout Alana Pohlman. She recorded 14 kills with 7 errors on 28 attempts to hit .250. Assisting Pohlman was sophomore Journey Blevins who recorded 10 kills and hit .054.
Freshman Emma White recorded 30 assists. Sophomore Ava Doster contributed 13 digs. Senior Norah Painter led the Oilers with four blocks.
The Oilers will be back in action tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 14 as they take on the Grand Valley State University Lakers at 11:30am.