Canton, OH--The Ursuline College volleyball team dropped a Great Midwest Athletic Conference matchup to Malone, falling 3-1 on Friday evening.
The Arrows (2-14, 0-5 G-MAC) fell by set scores of 27-29, 25-18, 23-25 and 19-25.
Ursuline battled throughout the opening set, maintaining the lead for much of the frame before a 4-0 Malone (4-9, 2-3 G-MAC) run gave the Pioneers a 24-23 advantage. The two teams continued to trade points, but Malone eventually took the extended set, 29-27.
The Arrows responded in the second set, jumping out to an 11-4 lead. Malone answered with a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 13-11, but Ursuline continued to build its advantage. The Arrows extended their lead to 23-15 before closing out the set, 25-18, to even the match.
The third set featured another back-and-forth battle before Malone used a 5-0 run to take control. Ursuline answered with six straight points to regain the momentum. The teams continued to exchange runs, with Malone putting together four consecutive points before the Arrows responded with a 5-1 stretch. With the score remaining tight, the Pioneers used a 9-4 run late in the set to take a 2-1 match lead with a 25-23 victory.
The fourth set remained close early before Malone used a 6-1 run to pull ahead, 21-17. Ursuline attempted to cut into the deficit, but the Pioneers closed the match with a 4-1 run to secure the 25-19 set victory.
Despite the loss, Ursuline held the advantage in several statistical categories. The Arrows recorded 53 kills to Malone's 48 and held a 51-47 edge in assists. Ursuline also led in digs, 71-60.
Malone, however, finished with a significant advantage in blocks, 16-2, while also committing fewer attack errors, 16-33. The Pioneers finished with a .218 attack percentage compared to Ursuline's .130.
Kimora Hansbrough led the Arrows offensively with 14 kills, followed by Ellie Zoeckler with 11. Mya Jackson added four service aces, while Vada Belt recorded three.
Belt led Ursuline with 22 assists, while Sophia Serrano added 15 in directing the Arrows' offense.
Jackson also paced the defensive effort with 22 digs. Alivia Martin added 12 digs, while Serrano contributed 10 to record a double-double.
Up next: Ursuline travels to Ashland, OH, playing Ashland Saturday at noon in G-MAC action.
