GRINNELL, Iowa – The Grinnell College volleyball team snapped a four-match losing streak in impressive fashion Saturday at Darby Gymnasium, shutting down Alverno College in four sets.
The Pioneers won 25-14, 20-25, 25-14 and 25-9 with the aid of 15 aces. That figure ranks eighth in program history for a four-set match.
Gracie Lim '28 led that service charge with seven aces, ninth-most at GC and tied for second in a four-set match. She had six aces in one set, which would most likely be a school record if that category was tracked.
The Pioneers, who are 4-8, hit a blistering .330 with 44 kills including 10 by
Millie Leonard '27 and
Keira Sullivan '27 and nine from
Leticia Machado '29. Sullivan hit .474 and Leonard added an efficiency of .421.
Kylie-Ann Smith '27 and
Paige Lundgren '30 tallied 15 and 13 assists, respectively, while Leonard served up four aces. Lim also had 10 digs among her totals.
The Pioneers used a strong run to end the first set, scoring the final six points in a row with the aid of Sullivan's ace and kills by her, Machado and
Ella Tulimieri '30.
After losing the second set, Grinnell used a big spurt to take command in the third. Leading just 5-4, the Pioneers scored six in a row with the help of an ace from
Molly Kuhn '29 and kill by Leonard. Grinnell went on to win the set easily.
Lim served five aces in a row to begin the third set and the Pioneers were never challenged after that.
Earlier in the day, Grinnell lost a 25-21, 25-11, 25-15 decision to Central College. Sullivan and Machado had seven and six kills, respectively, and Smith added 14 assists. Machado also posted three block assists and Lim came up with 10 digs.
The first set saw Grinnell build a 17-13 lead after Machado's ace, but the Dutch gradually crept back to win. They played off that momentum the next two sets.
Grinnell opens Midwest Conference play next weekend at Lawrence University on Friday and Ripon College on Saturday.
