GRINNELL, Iowa – Not only did Grinnell College sweep a pair of opponents at its own volleyball tournament Friday at Darby Gymnasium, the Pioneers also made some entries into the program's top 10 list.
Hannah Taylor '21 boasted a sizzling .692 hitting efficiency in a 25-9, 25-16, 25-15 win over Alverno College to start the tourney, an efficiency figure that ranks fifth in program history. Grinnell followed with a sweep of Concordia University-Chicago by scores of 25-19, 25-19, 25-12 in a match that featured 13 Pioneer ace serves, the 10th-most for the program in a three-set affair.
After the night's action, which pushed Grinnell's record to 12-2,
Julianna Roth '22 ranks sixth in program history with 1,622 career assists while
Kaylin Kuhn '21 is eighth in both career kills and aces with 947 and 111, respectively.
In the opening win over Alverno, Taylor pounded down 10 kills in 13 attempts with just one error. Grinnell dominated at the net, piling up a .347 hitting efficiency. Roth added 17 assists, while
Abbie Smith '23 and
Payton Lowrey '22 had three aces each.
Madison Smith '20 contributed eight digs and
Olivia Jensen '22 was credited with two blocks.
Grinnell broke the first set open, turning a 4-2 lead into an 11-2 cushion on the serve of
Rachel Woock '23. Taylor had two kills in that span as Grinnell cruised to victory.
In the second set, the Pioneers reeled off the first four points on Roth's serve and gradually pulled away.
Sophie Smith '23 got Grinnell out to a 4-0 start in the third set. After Alverno rallied for a 6-5 lead, Grinnell responded with a seven-point run as
Abbie Smith served six of those points including two aces. The Pioneers never looked back after that.
In the win over Concordia, Kuhn pounded down 18 kills and hit .419. Roth distributed 34 assists, while Kuhn,
Anna Killin '22 and Lowrey had three aces each. Lowrey added 11 digs.
Grinnell led just 10-9 in the first set before a key 6-1 run, which included two kills by Kuhn, helped the Pioneers pull away. The second set was tight the whole way, with Grinnell leading just 20-19 before closing things out with a five-point spree.
Emmy Nyquist '23 had an ace in that span, while Killin, Taylor and Woock all had kills.
The Pioneers were up in the third set 11-7 before a big seven-point run that included an ace serve by Woock and two kills apiece from Jensen and Kuhn. Grinnell cruised from there.
The tourney continues Saturday at 11 a.m. as the University of Wisconsin-River Falls meets Simpson College. UW-River Falls takes on Nebraska Wesleyan University at 1 p.m., while the Pioneers close out action that day with a 3 p.m. contest against Nebraska Wesleyan.
