Albion Loses Five-Set Volleyball Match

Saturday, October 29, 2011

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Down to its final chance to score its first Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association win of the season, Albion College let an 11-4 fourth-set lead slip away as it was trying to close out Kalamazoo College. The Hornets rallied to win the fourth set, 25-21, and the match in five sets.

Kalamazoo took the early lead with 25-15 win in the first set.

Albion was trailing 23-22 in the second set when a Kalamazoo hitting error tied the score. Lauren DeLuyck and Emilee Studley produced kills on the final two points as Albion tied the match with a 25-23 win.

Albion was trailing 22-21 in the third set, but a Jalyn Ingalls kill and a Kalamazoo attack error boosted the Britons to a 23-22 lead. Kalamazoo tied the score at 23, but Albion held on with a DeLuyck kill and a Hornet setting error.

Albion raced out to an 11-4 lead in the fourth as Caitlin Wright collected a kills and served up two aces and Studley also produced an ace. Colleen Leonard took over for Kalamazoo as she pounded four kills to trim the margin to 12-8. Albion led 19-17, but Leonard came up with three kills and a service ace to carry the Hornets as they evened the match at two sets apiece.

An Albion service error allowed Kalamazoo to take control of the fifth set. The error ignited Kalamazoo’s 5-0 run with the Hornets building a 7-3 lead. Albion came back to cut the deficit to 7-6, but that was as close as the Britons would get. Autumn Cussen served the final five points of the contest, putting the exclamation point on the Hornet victory with a service ace.

Wright, the lone senior on the Albion roster, cracked nine kills, three service aces, and a pair of blocks. First-year outside hitter Kayla Gustitus finished with nine kills and four service aces. Ingalls produced eight kills in addition to dishing out 19 assists.