No. 14 Grace Sweeps No. 22 MU, Syoen Reaches 2,000 Assists

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The red-hot Grace volleyball squad continued its winning ways, securing yet another NAIA Top-25 victory on Wednesday.

The No. 14 Lancers won their eighth-straight match, sweeping No. 22 Marian on the road.

Grace (14-2, 8-1 Crossroads League) now has four ranked wins away from home.

The Lancers were efficient on all fronts during Wednesday's road sweep. The Lancers racked up 45 assists on a .194 percentage while holding the Knights (15-4, 6-3 CL) to a .094 percentage.

For an individual highlight, Morgan Syoen recorded the 2,000th assist of her career. She is the seventh Lancer to reach that mark in program history.

The first set was close through the midway mark. Grace then erupted with a key 7-0 run. Anna Ballengee had two kills during the run, and Liz Schmidt aced as Grace led 21-16.

The Knights pulled back within two, but Grace closed out the 25-22 win thanks to timely kills from Jadyn Ross, Livia Tate and Anna Elkin.

Grace's offense soared in the opener with 16 kills on a .244 percentage.

In the second set, Grace used a 6-0 spurt to earn a four-point cushion. Emma Blackford was a spark with aces on two straight serves.

The Knights stayed close, however, and managed to take a two-point lead in the closing stages. Marian served for the set at 24-23, but Elkin produced a kill on the next rally to force extra points.

Grace turned to its upperclassmen next, and they delivered. Ballengee and Alisha Voss recorded kills on the following two plays, handing Grace a 26-24 win.

Momentum seemed firmly in Grace's corner as the match reached a third set. Grace skipped ahead by the count of 5-1.

The Lancers kept a sizable lead over the Knights throughout the set. Ross ended the match with a kill on the final play, wrapping up the 25-19 win for the road sweep.

Voss impressed with nine kills on a .421 percentage to go along with 3 solo blocks, 1 block assist and 6 digs.

Ballengee claimed match honors with 12 kills to lead all players, hitting at a .290 percentage.

Tate had five kills with three block assists, and Ross ended with five kills and two block assists.

Syoen collected 22 assists, 7 digs and 1 ace on her milestone evening, and Riley Owens added 13 assists with eight digs.

Elkin pounded out nine kills, and Sahara Bee added five.

Defensively, Grace's back row was balanced. Olivia Martinez led the team with nine digs, and Liz Schmidt and McKenzie Stakely had eight digs.