Archers rally to upend Mount Mary in five-set thriller
Trailing two sets to one, the Archers women's volleyball team rallied to play two of its best sets of the season and defeat Division III Mount Mary University 20-25, 28-26, 17-25, 25-10, 15-11 in nonconference action Thursday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
After dropping the first set, Moody Bible Institute hung tough and out-fought the host Blue Angels in a thrilling 28-26 victory in set two behind standout defense and timely hitting. Mount Mary bounced back to win set three, but the Archers responded by playing their best volleyball of the season to date, dominating the fourth set. Fueled by precise serve receive passing and reliable defense, Moody's offense hit a blistering .452 with 15 kills to overwhelm the Blue Angels.
Falling behind 2-0 early, the Archers dug deep and took the lead for good 5-4 in the fifth set on a kill by freshman outside hitter Grace Vahey. Moody would not relinquish its lead the rest of the way, extending its advantage to as much as four points en route to the win.
"Our season theme of Time to Shine was on full display the last two sets of the match," head coach Jeff Smith said. "Our goal for each match and practice is to let the light of Jesus shine in our effort, attitude, togetherness, and performance, and the girls did a great job of putting their hearts and minds into playing for His glory and pleasure tonight. We have the added motivation of dedicating the rest of our season to our teammate Joy Marquardt as she battles cancer. I know Joy would have been extremely proud of the team's play against a strong D3 opponent."
Moody's defense provided the backbone behind its victory, registering a season-high 93 digs to consistently thwart Mount Mary's attack. Vahey (23 digs), freshman DS Kianna Johnson (21 digs), freshman libero Emiley Marchan (17), junior outside hitter Kiarra Henkel (13), junior setter Hayley Williams (12), and sophomore middle hitter Abby Clinton (seven) led the defensive effort, while Moody's solid blocking effort was paced by Henkel and Clinton with three blocks apiece.
Fueled by solid serve receive passing, Moody's offense recorded a season-best 54 kills thanks in large part to Williams' season-high 40 assists. Vahey (21 kills) and Henkel (18) paved the Archers' attack along with Clinton (seven), freshman middle hitter Olivia Reid (six kills on .400 hitting), and sophomore opposite hitter Elli Stuart.
Moody will honor Marquardt, who is battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, at its Night of Joy home match against Kuyper College on Friday, October 4 in the Solheim Center.