OXFORD, Ohio— The RedHawks (5-5) lost a hard-fought five-set match against Xavier (6-3) at Millett Hall, 25-23, 25-14, 19-25, 18-25, 14-16.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The first set started with back-and-forth action, no team pulling ahead by more than two points until the score reached 18-15 in favor of the RedHawks. This did not deter the Musketeers as they closed the lead and tied the set at 22-22.
Allyson Severance provided two back-to-back kills to finish out the set, propelling Miami to win 25-23.
The second set started out gritty, much like the first. After being tied 7-7, the RedHawks gained momentum after two kills from Severance and three kills from
Maggie McCrary led them to go on a 9-1 run. The RedHawks did not stop there;
Ellie Hanson recorded three kills at the end of the set and
Brooke Cirigliano secured the 25-14 win with a kill to end the set.
Miami fell behind 6-3 early in the third set and trailed Xavier until the score reached 16-16. Two blocks from
Caroline Cermack provided Miami a late boost, although Xavier went on to win the set 25-19.
Xavier got off to a 5-0 start in the fourth set and carried that momentum throughout the rest of the set. The Musketeers went on to win the set 25-18.
The RedHawks pulled ahead 6-3 in the fifth set, thanks to three kills from
Abby Stratford. A coach's challenge brought this lead to 7-2, Xavier answered this by scoring the following two plays. Miami went on to pull ahead 14-13, but could not close out the final set giving Xavier a 16-14 win.
NOTES:
- Hanson recorded a double-double with a game-high of 16 kills and team-high 27 digs
UP NEXT:
The RedHawks take on the University of Cincinnati tomorrow on Friday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. Miami starts conference play next week against rival Ohio University on Friday, Sept. 23 and Saturday, Sept. 24 in Athens, Ohio.
