Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CINCINNATI, Ohio – On a snowy Wednesday evening the Hanover Panther hit the road to take on Mt. St. Joseph dropping the opening match 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 22-25, 23-25) before taking match two in straight sets (25-20, 25-22, 28-26). The Panthers move to 3-1 overall, 1-1 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action.
 
The opening match saw the Lions claim set one, 25-20, but the Panthers responded. They opened set two with a back-and-forth battle that would eventually see them claim the slim 17-16 advantage following a kill by junior Kelsey Ketcham (Mishawaka, Ind. / Marian). They built on the momentum as kills by sophomore Josie McClara (Jamestown, Ind. / Tri-West) and sophomore Emma Harmon (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) pushed the difference to 20-17. However, the Lions battled back cutting into the Panther advantage when a sophomore Adrianne Vance (Indianapolis, Ind. / Lawrence North) kill followed by a senior Amber Miller (Louisville, Ky. / Presentation Academy) service ace halted the charge and secured the set two victory, 25-21.
 
Set three would turn again in favor of the home team but not without a battle. Hanover was able to pull within 18-17 following yet another Miller service ace. However, the Lions remained poise recording three straight points to push the difference. Hanover looked to rally late in the set as a junior Emma McPeek (North Vernon, Ind. / Jennings County) kill saw the Lion's lead dwindle to just 24-22. But Mt. St. Joseph was able to combat the attack and claim the 25-22 win.
 
The final set of the match saw Hanover surge ahead early as they rattled off five straight points, paced by McClara for the 6-1 advantage. The excitement continued for the Blue and Red as a kill by McPeek and a service ace by Vance pushed the lead to 9-3. However, the Lions once again responded using a rally of their own to cut the deficit to 9-8. Hanover refused to roll over as back-to-back points by Harmon and Vance extended the lead once more. But Mt. St. Joseph continued to hang around scoring the final three points of the set to secure the match victory, 25-23.
 
Set one of match two was dominated by the Panthers as a three-point surge led by kills from freshman Ella Reed (Lexington, Ky. / Lafayette Sr.) and junior Maddie Edwards (Jasper, Ind. / Jasper) gave Hanover the 13-9 advantage. The offensive explosion continued for the Blue and Red as kills by junior Emma Rolf (Lebanon, Ind. / Western Boone) and sophomore Abigail Edds (Louisville, Ky. / Sayers Classical Academy) pushed the difference to 21-14. Rolf secured the set one victory moments later with another kill.
 
The Panther success continued in set two as three straight points capped off by a junior Maura Dankoski (Fishers, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern) kill gave Hanover the convincing 11-5 lead. Despite a Mt. St. Joseph comeback that saw them pull within two points, the Panther's held strong using kills from Reed and McClara to secure the 25-22 win.
 
The Blue and Red would carry the momentum into the final set as a five-point explosion saw Hanover capture the 9-4 advantage. However, Mt. St. Joseph made one final push knotting the contest at 16-16 before a trio of service aces by sophomore Meredith Deckard (Bedford, Ind. / Bedford North Lawrence) helped propel HC to the straight set victory.
 
Hanover returns to action on Saturday, January 30, at 1:00 PM when they head north to Manchester.