Volleyball takes down Franklin in straight sets

By Press release submission

Oct 23, 2022

Hot off a sweep of Anderson on Senior Day, the Earlham College volleyball team took down Franklin College 3-0 in Druley Performance Gym on Monday.

The Quakers improved to 11-11 (4-2 HCAC) while the Grizzlies fell to 8-13 (2-4 HCAC).

With the extra game, Earlham now sits in third place in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings, with Bluffton and Hanover both at a 3-2 record.

The Quaker offense ran through Erin Wagner with 30 out of 36 assists on the evening coming from the senior setter. Maria Young scored 11 kills and had a hitting percentage of .286. Jen Shamel led the back line with 19 digs.

The Quakers scored 10 digs as a team, with Shamel and Wagner hitting three each.

After trailing 8-5 in the opening frame, EC scored a 15-2 run with seven of the points coming from Quaker kills. Earlham didn't take its foot off the gas, and continued through the set to win 25-14.

The Grizzlies again took an early lead in the second frame and had a 9-8 advantage over the Quakers before a 9-2 run from the home team. Franklin rebounded and scored five straight points, but then Earlham scored a 4-0 run to lead 23-18. EC remained composed in the final points to win 25-20.

Earlham had its best offensive showing in the third set with 16 kills and a .303 hitting percentage. Franklin came out of the gates hot with a 5-2 score early. After working back to a 10-9 lead, the Quakers took off with a 6-1 run. Undeterred, the Grizzlies responded with an 8-2 run to tie the set at 18. After two Quaker points, Franklin scored five straight points to lead 23-20. With Franklin leading 24-21, the Quakers scored four straight points to lead 25-24 and force extra points in the game. Franklin took a lead 26-25, but the Quakers bounced back to score three unanswered points and take the match win in straight sets.

Earlham will be back in action on Wednesday at home against Defiance College. First serve is set for 7 pm in Druley Performance Gym.