Written by Sports Information Student Assistant, Jake Sipes-Salter

HANOVER, Ind. - A solid offensive performance across the board, led by freshman Kelsey Ketcham (Mishawaka, Ind.) and junior Madie Snyder (Boonville, Ind.) helped the Hanover volleyball team to a road victory at Franklin Wednesday evening, 25-16, 25-7, 25-22.

Ketcham finished her night with eight kills, 12 assists and five digs, while Snyder finished with seven kills and digs. The Panthers also notched their third double-digit service ace total of the season, finishing with 10. Leading the team in service aces was sophomore Brynn Durecki (Winona Lake, Ind.).

The Blue and Red (13-13) are now 3-4 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action, placing them fifth in the league standings.

While Ketcham and Snyder led the team in kills, junior Carlie Burson (New Salisbury, Ind.) added six, with the three squad leaders combining for 21 of Hanover's 32 kills. Senior Claire Dennis (Bloomington, Ind.) helped anchor the net, co-leading the Panthers with three total blocks along with Ketcham.

The Blue and Red began the first set by winning 11 of the match's first 12 points, quickly getting in a groove. While the Grizzlies went on a six-point run to make it 14-8 midway through, Hanover held down the fort for the opening set victory.

While not going on as long of a scoring run in the second set as the first, Hanover lit up the scoreboard with a 25-7 triumph in set two. Burson posted three of her six kills in the second, tying teammate Ketcham in the column. Senior Abby Crump (Indianapolis, Ind.) tallied five of her team-high 14 assists in the second frame.

The third go around saw a lot of fight from Franklin, as they took an 8-5 lead at one point in the frame. However, the Panthers swiped seven of the next nine to make it a 12-10 advantage in their favor. The Grizzlies managed to knot it late at 20 apiece before the Blue and Red took five of the final seven scores to sweep the Grizzlies (10-16, 3-5 HCAC).

Hanover is now just one game out of the fourth slot in the conference standings, which would allow them to host an opening round matchup in the HCAC Tournament. The Panthers come home to end their regular season, with games against Anderson and Manchester this weekend. The home stretch begins inside Collier Arena at 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 27, versus the Ravens.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@hanover.edu